


Tea and Whiskey

by FunandFictional



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, McHanzo - Freeform, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, hanzo x d.va brotp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-08-17 10:16:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 28,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8140348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FunandFictional/pseuds/FunandFictional
Summary: Hanzo decides to join Overwatch. Quickly becoming friends with D.Va, he struggles to understand why that cowboy won't quit bugging him. This will cover their relationship and include him trying to patch things up with Genji and learn how to be part of the Overwatch family.





	1. New Friend

Four hours. It had only been four hours and Hanzo was ready to leave. While he had finally told Genji he would consider becoming a member of Overwatch, he hadn’t expected the ‘welcome party’ to be quite so… Exhausting.

The older members who knew of what Hanzo had done treated him with an unsure politeness. While they had all introduced themselves, Hanzo knew they were watching him carefully. 

The younger and newer members, however, were enthusiastic to say the least. Loud and talkative, Hanzo wasn’t entirely sure if he preferred them over their cold counterparts. 

The frenzy had left Hanzo tired and only able to remember a few of their names, but he had already decided that he wasn’t going to become particularly close to the majority of the group. After analyzing the group, he picked out and memorized those he deduced would be important to know. Of the older members, he paid close attention to Dr. Ziegler, Dr. Winston, and Commander Morrison who had introduced himself differently, but who Hanzo understood to be in a position of authority. 

Zenyatta, D.Va, and Lucio were the next names Hanzo committed himself to remembering. Although he was unsure about how he felt about the omnic, he was important to be on good terms with due to his closeness to Genji. The two young ones, however, Hanzo chose to remember for his own selfishness. Although he was committed to atoning for what he had done, he could not remember the last time he had been treated so kindly, by anyone. 

All other names would either have to be learned later or never, as the remaining members didn’t strike Hanzo as particularly important in any way. 

——————————————————————————————————————————

“Here is your room, brother. I am sure you are tired after the long plane ride and the introductions,” Genji had guided Hanzo down a long hallway and brought him to the last room. “I apologize that your quarters are the furthest away, but this is the only remaining bedroom in the base.”

“It is fine. The walk is not long and I am not yet that old.” 

Genji chuckled quietly and opened the door. “You are lucky, however, that you joined us in this base. All of the bedrooms have their own connected bathroom. Many of our previous bases were not as comfortable.”

Walking into the room, Hanzo gave it a quick scan. The room was plain, but clean. A bed, nightstand, lamp, dresser, small bench, and chair were the pieces of furniture. A large window looking out at the ocean surrounding the Gibraltar base. A door, presumably leading to the bathroom. Simple, but it was perfectly suitable for him.

“McCree is your only neighbor, since you are at the end of the hall. He may take some time to adjust to you, but I am sure he will welcome you kindly like the others soon.”

Hanzo turned to Genji, who was standing in the doorway. “Which one are you talking about? The very large German man?”

Genji shook his head. “No, McCree is the… The cowboy.”

Hanzo raised one eyebrow. “Cowboy? I do not think I have met one that would match that description. One of the Australian men?”

Genji shook his head again. “Hmm, it is possible that McCree did not attend your welcoming. I will talk with him, but I am sure that you will have a chance to meet him at dinner tonight.”

The thought of going back into the frenzy made Hanzo’s shoulders drop. “I do not think I will be attending dinner. I am still quite tired from traveling. I think I will just go to sleep now.”

Genji paused for a moment before nodding. “I understand. Rest well, brother.”

Closing the door behind him, Hanzo moved back to rest of the bed. Although the traveling and party had been tiring, he was also worn from conversing with Genji. He was unsure how to behave with him and Genji acted so differently than he remembered. Training with Zenyatta had greatly matured his brother, but the change was enough to make Hanzo feel like he was talking to a stranger. 

Rubbing his eyes, Hanzo was unsure of what to do. Too many thoughts ran through his head to sleep, but the thought of leaving his quiet room was worse.

A gentle knock on the door shocked the archer. Had Genji returned for some reason? 

Getting up from the bed, Hanzo opened the door slowly.

D.Va was standing outside of it with a tray, balancing a teapot and two cups. 

Smiling up at him, she nodded and lifted the tray up slightly. “Genji said you weren’t coming to eat, but I thought I’d bring you some tea to help you sleep. No caffeine in this one, I promise! I travel a lot for different jobs, so I usually drink this to help me with jet lag.”

Hanzo smiled gently and motioned for her to enter. “That is very considerate of you Ms. D.Va. Thank-you.”

Grinning widely, D.Va set the tray of the bench. Pouring some into both cups, Hanzo watched the steam rise from the tea. “You’re welcome! I know some of the others were kinda being jerks to you, but I promise they aren’t normally like that!”

Going to sit on the bench with her, he nodded thanks when she passed him his cup. “I appreciate your concern, but it is not necessary. I do not mind if they remain angry with me or choose to ignore me.”

D.Va frowned. “That’s not a good attitude. We’re teammates, so we should act like it!”

Hanzo sipped his tea, unsure of how to respond. “May I ask you a question?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“Why are you choosing to go out of your way to be kind to me?” The girl paused for a few seconds. The quietest she had been since arriving. 

“I dunno. I guess cause you kinda remind me of my dad? He was always pretty quiet, but he was super calm and was the only one that could ever get me to stop being hyper and go to bed. My mom was the hyper one and Dad would always laugh at me and tell me how I was like her clone. My parents both died a little while back, so I guess you reminding me of him just really made me wanna talk with you some more.” 

Hanzo was stunned for a second before giving her a small smile. “Thank-you for sharing that with me.”

D.Va grinned widely and nodded. “No prob! Hey, do you mind if I ask you a question?”

Hanzo hesitated for a second, before nodding. “You may.”

“Umm, why are the others being jerks to you? Genji told me not to ask, so if you don’t wanna tell me it’s okay,” D.Va looked down at her tea, trying to be polite and not let her curiosity be too obvious.

Hanzo sighed. “I… I did something that should never be forgiven. The reason I came here is to atone for my sin, but I feel that I will never be able to do enough. The members who know the truth are wise to think of me as a monster. You should be careful as to not upset them by being to close to me.”

D.Va frowned. “But you feel bad about what you did? And you’re trying to make up for it? I don’t think you could possibly be that bad if you’re trying to fix things.”

“I appreciate your kind words, but what I have done is unforgivable. Maybe there is not even a point in me being here.” Trying to take another sip, Hanzo was surprised that he had finished all his tea.

Noticing this, D.Va quickly downed the rest of her tea and jumped up. “Hey, I’ll go get us some more, okay? And how about this? Your point for being here is to be my new friend! I’ll even let you call me Hana, which I only let my family and close friends do.”

Blinking up at her in surprise, Hanzo was about to argue, but she was already opening up the door.

“Oh! Hey, cowboy!”

Hanzo turned his head toward the door. Hana had almost run into a tall man in a ridiculous looking hat. So, this man must be McCree.

“Watch where you're going, kid.” McCree called after Hana as she rushed down the hall.

Peeking his head in, McCree raised a metal hand in Hanzo’s direction. A wave? 

“Um, howdy there. The name’s Jesse McCree, uh… Genji told me I should introduce myself since we’re gonna be neighbors. Sorry I missed the party, was fixing up my arm when ya got here. So…” McCree trailed off, looking slightly embarrassed.

“I am Hanzo. It is nice to meet you Mr. McCree,” Hanzo stood and bowed at the cowboy.

McCree chuckled nervously. “Mr. McCree’s my old man. You can just call me McCree or Jesse, darlin’.”

Hanzo quirked an eyebrow at the other man. “And you can refer to me as Hanzo.”

McCree smirked suddenly, a mischievous look. “I can, but I have a… A preference for nicknames. So, don’t get too turned off if I save your name for the special occasions.” Winking at Hanzo, McCree moved out of sight just as D.Va walked in with more tea.

Looking at Hanzo and back to where McCree has just been, she laughed at the expression on Hanzo’s face. “Well, maybe not all the oldsters hate you,” Hana teased.

Rubbing his face. Hanzo sighed. Why did he choose to come here again?


	2. Midnight Snack

Staring up at his ceiling, Hanzo groaned as his stomach grumbled again. Hana and Genji had offered to bring him food earlier, but he had refused. Now, however, at 3 A.M. he was suffering from his early decision.

Slipping a robe over his boxers, he hesitated for a minute before deciding he might as well risk going to the kitchen. It was highly unlikely that he would run into anyone at this hour. Plus, Hanzo knew it would be nearly impossible for him to fall asleep, which was something else he desperately wanted.

Poking his head out his bedroom door, he listened for a second. The base seemed quiet enough, so he began his quiet walk to the kitchen. Entering the large space, he gave a quick sigh of relief when the room was also empty.

Going over to the fridge, Hanzo peeked in. A variety of foods were in the fridge, some claimed with other member’s names, but most seemed to be communal. Looking at the various options, Hanzo was surprised to see a container with his name on it. Pulling the container out, his name was written in big letters with a bunny drawn next to it. Recognizing the symbol from Hana’s shirt, Hanzo smiled softly.

Pulling the container out, he pulled open the lid to find some sort of soup. Unsure for a second, Hanzo decided Hana wasn’t likely planning on poisoning him, so he placed it in the microwave. Pouring himself a glass of water, he looked through the various cabinets to become acquainted with the space. Finding a spoon, he stared at the microwave as it counted down. Just a few more seconds and…

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

“AH!” A voice exclaimed from the common room. Hanzo jumped at the noise and went over to investigate. 

Walking past the kitchen counter, he passed through the large opening to the common room. Sitting up on one of the couches was McCree, who was rubbing at his eyes.

“Is everything alright?” Hanzo asked quietly, hoping to not further alarm the man or wake anyone else up.

Glancing over at the archer, McCree gave him a confused stare for a bit before realization dawned on him. “Oh, hey. Yeah, guess the alarm just freaked me out a bit is all.”

Hanzo crossed his arms and tilted his head, thinking. “Alarm? The microwave should not have been loud enough for you to confuse it for such.”

McCree chuckled and shook his head. “Probably wasn’t the microwave. Probably just a bit of a nightmare is all. Nothing to worry about.”

Hanzo nodded. “I understand.” Not wanting to embarrass the other man, Hanzo returned to the kitchen to grab his food. The small talk with McCree had given the soup time to cool slightly, so Hanzo grabbed the bowl and settled into a chair at the island’s bar.

Taking a few bites, Hanzo was surprised that the soup was actually quite good. He hadn’t eaten many American foods, but this one seemed pleasing. If it was even American, with all of the agents being from different countries, the soup’s recipe could have easily been from anywhere. The thought must have only arisen due to his conversing with the loud cowboy shortly before.

After eating about half the bowl, Hanzo heard footsteps behind him. Turning, he noticed McCree walk into the room. McCree stretched his arms and neck out a few times as he walked over to the kitchen.

Glancing over at Hanzo, a grin suddenly filled his face. “Good, you’re eating! I only cook once in a while, so I hope it tastes okay. My chili ain’t as good as the one my mama made, but I think it’s pretty damn close.”

“You made this?” Hanzo asked.

Nodding, McCree chuckled at Hanzo’s expression. “Come on, don’t look so shocked that this cowboy can cook. I was on my own for a pretty long time, so I picked up some handy skills off the battlefield too.”

“Well, thank-you for the meal,” Hanzo bowed his head slightly at the cowboy.

“My pleasure, darlin’.”

“Hanzo,” the archer corrected, sternly.

McCree chuckled. “Didn’t we have this talk earlier? Well, I can try, Hanzo. By the way, why didn’t you just come down for dinner if you were hungry? It would’ve tasted better fresh off the stove.”

Hanzo sighed. “I was tired from the earlier… festivities.”

“Ah, I see. You’ll get used to this group soon enough. The kids get pretty rowdy though, so don’t hold your breath when hoping for peace and quiet.”

“The noise is not what I was concerned over.”

Walking around the island, McCree poured himself some water. “And what is concerning ya?”

Hanzo paused for a moment, considering who he was talking to, before continuing. “The older members of Overwatch are more tiring to me.”

Turning around with his glass, McCree frowned at Hanzo. Leaning back against the counter, he thought for a moment. “What? Reinhardt and Torb giving you trouble? Or Jack?”

Hanzo shook his head in slight frustration. “Not just them. All of the former members who know of my… Of what I did to Genji.”

McCree took a sip of his water, staring into it for a while. “Hmmm, I see.”

“Except for you,” Hanzo added, a questioning tone in the statement.

McCree glanced up at him with a small smile. “I do always like to be the difficult one.”

“What is your reasoning?”

“Behind what? Not being an asshole to you?” McCree chuckled.

“The others were merely more guarded and judgmental in their interactions with me. You, however, are choosing to either ignore what you know or you have an ulterior motive,” Hanzo deduced, watching the cowboy begin to move around the counter.

“Well, Reyes did used to chew my head off after I would fall asleep during meetings. But I don’t think I’m the one ignoring anything here. To be frank, I’m the only one following orders,” McCree rested his elbow against the counter, standing slightly too close to Hanzo.

“What do you mean?”

McCree smiled, which made Hanzo more suspicious of the man. “When Genji told us he recruited you, I wasn’t so sure about you either. But, he told us that he had forgiven you and that he wanted us to treat you good. So, I’m doing what I was told.”

Hanzo frowned. “So you are only being civil due to my brother’s insistence?” 

McCree chuckled, but shook his head. Placing both hands on his hips, he gave Hanzo another smile. “To be honest, I thought I was being a little better than civil. And no, my attitude isn’t only because of Genji.”

“What do you mean?” Hanzo watched as the cowboy moved just a fraction closer.

“Well, didn’t you say it earlier? Maybe I have ulterior motives?” McCree smirked.

Narrowing his eyes at the cowboy, Hanzo considered the man in front of him. Was he a threat?

“Don’t look so down. Your face is going to settle like that if you don’t quit it.”

“Are you planning on telling me what you are scheming?”

McCree laughed. “Scheming? You make me sound like some sort of villain. Don’t you worry about what McCree’s got planned for you.”

“I would rather not be included in whatever strange plan you are concocting. Now, if you don’t mind, I am going to go to bed,” Hanzo walked to the sink and quickly began to wash his dishes. McCree didn’t say anything during, but he also didn’t leave. 

After placing the dishes in the drying rack, Hanzo turned and frowned at the staring cowboy.

“Good-night,” Hanzo said coldly, hoping to dissuade any further conversation.

“Ya know I gotta walk back the same way as you, we are neighbors,” McCree stated as Hanzo walked past him.

Hanzo chose to ignore the comment, but sure enough he could hear McCree’s footsteps following close behind. 

Thankfully, McCree stayed silent as they walked. Passing his door, Hanzo expected to hear it open behind, but instead he felt a hand on his shoulder. Shrugging it off, Hanzo turned to see what the cowboy wanted.

McCree had a small smile on his face, more sincere looking than any Hanzo had seen from the cowboy thus far. “You really don’t have to worry about me. I do actually want to be friendly with you, not just because of what your brother said.”

Still slightly unsure of the man, Hanzo gave him a curt nod. “Thank-you for your… kindness. Good-night, McCree.”

“My pleasure. Good-night, darlin’.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> McCree is actually so much fun to write. He's such a flirt~


	3. Apple Bunnies and Tea

Only two weeks had passed and Hanzo was already settling in a routine. He still wasn’t an official member of Overwatch, so it would be a while until he could be sent on missions, but for now he was comfortable enough.

Wake up at 7. Get dressed. Go to make breakfast at 7:30, usually eating in silence as most members of the team would still be sleeping. Go to the shooting range for practice at 8. Leave to take a shower at 12:30. Prepare lunch at 1. Make sure Hana was awake. Eat lunch with Hana at 1:30. Mediate with Genji and Zenyatta at 2:30. Walk around the base at 5. Go to dinner at 6. Either help clean or go to read in his room at 6:30. Chat with either Genji, Zenyatta, Hana, Lucio, or Mei at 8. Return to his room at 9:30. Attempt to sleep. Fail to fall asleep. Prepare a snack and some tea for Hana, who streamed at 11. Drink tea in the kitchen at 11:30 and chat with McCree who would always wander in at around that time. Go to bed at midnight. 

Almost every day had been following that same schedule and while it seemed mundane, Hanzo was enjoying living in a routine. Ten years since he thought he had killed Genji. Ten years since he had left the clan and become a traitor. The only schedule that had existed in those last ten years was the one day he would sneak into the castle on the anniversary of Genji’s murder. Now, he wondered if he would ever return to Hanamura. He no longer had a reason, as Genji was alive. The clan had been wrong, but Hanzo could not resist feeling guilt for his betrayal. Abandoning the clan, he knew nothing of what had become of them in the last ten years. They clearly still maintained a level of power as assassins had continued to be sent after him for all those years, but he knew nothing else. The clan could be dying for all he knew. 

But, Hanzo had lost his feelings of loyalty to the clan long ago. Now, he knew he existed to atone. Until Genji told him he was allowed to die, Hanzo felt he must stay alive. As his punishment. 

This new life with Overwatch, however, did not feel like a punishment. No, he was becoming far too comfortable within these walls. With these people.

Glancing at the clock, Hanzo almost laughed at the time. 11 o’clock on the dot. Pulling himself out of his bed, Hanzo walked to the kitchen. Slicing up some apples as the water boiled, he had to force himself not to cut them into bunny shapes. Yes, Hana had pouted at him for ten minutes the last time he had brought her plainly cut apples. He, however, was a trained assassin who would not cave.

Steeping the tea, Hanzo grabbed a cup for himself and Hana’s thermos. Since she tended to get distracted while streaming, he had quickly figured out that it was better to give her drink in the thermos than a cup. Last time he brought her a cup, she had apologized about only drinking half before it got cold. 

Pouring her tea into the thermos, he stared at the slices of apples. Sighing, he picked up the knife and cut one to appear to have bunny ears. Hanzo wasn’t sure when he began to feel familial with the girl, but it had happened quickly without him noticing.

Grabbing the thermos and plate, he walked quietly to her room. Tapping lightly at the door, with his knuckle he listened to the rapid clicking noises from inside the room stop.

“Come in!”

Opening the door, Hana was playing one of her handheld devices on her bed.

“Thanks!” Hana bounced up from her bed and towards him.

“You are not on your computer tonight?” This was the first time Hanzo had not seen Hana talking eagerly into a camera while playing games when coming in.

She shook her head. “Nope! New game just came out so I had to play it. And I have a pretty weird schedule with streaming since we travel around so much on missions, so my subs are used to it.”

Hanzo nodded, mostly understanding what she was saying. “Well, here is your snack. Do not stay up too late.”

Taking the plate from Hanzo, she seemed about to say something when her eyebrows shot up. “O-M-G! You cut it into a bunny like I wanted! Thank-you!” Hana placed the plate and thermos on her desk before turning back to Hanzo. Before he could react, Hana had wrapped her arms around his mid-section. 

Shocked by the sudden hug, Hanzo wasn’t able to respond before she bounced off of him. Looking at his expression, she laughed. “Sorry, I should’ve known you weren’t a hugger.”

“I am not, but you are welcome. I am just glad that you are finally accepting the healthier food that I am bringing to you.”

Taking her phone out of her pocket, she turned on a light and was repositioning the plate. Holding the phone at a few different angles, she started talking as she worked. “Yeah, yeah. Making the kid eat healthy. When Mercy found out I’ve been having tea instead of soda these last few weeks, she nearly had a heart attack. She’s been nagging me to eat healthier since I got here,” Taking a few pictures, Hana looked pleased at the result on her phone. “This is going to get so many likes.”

“Well, I am glad you are not pouting like last time. Good-night, Hana,” Hanzo bowed.

Hana bowed her head too, but quickly jerked her head back up. “Oh wait! I wanted to ask you this at dinner but there were too many people there.”

“What is it?”

“Ummm, okay. Promise you won’t get super offended at me?”

Hanzo crossed his arms. “It depends on the question, but I can control my emotions better than that.”

“Eh, stop trying to sound so mature.”

“I am mature, compared to you,” Hanzo smirked. Sticking out her tongue, Hana pouted.

“Okay, whatever. But you aren’t gonna get mad?”

“I will not be mad at you. Ask your question.”

“Um, do you and Jesse have a thing?”

Hanzo frowned. “I am not sure what you mean.”

Hana rolled her eyes. “You know! Are you and cowboy dating?”

“No, what would make you think that?” Hanzo asked. What a confusing question. The two talked in the evenings, but he did not think he conversed with McCree enough to cause this idea to arise.

“Well, I mean… I hadn’t really thought about it until yesterday at dinner. He just came out of nowhere and sat right next to you. Stealing my spot, by the way.”

“McCree sitting next to me is not a suspicious action. We are on good terms, but I would still refer to him as more of an acquaintance than anything else.”

Hana pouted. “Awww, that’s no fun. You two should totally date.”

“Why?” Hanzo was still unsure of why she seemed to be pushing this issue.

“Did you see how he looked at you? And he kept leaning closer to you. Laughing at everything you said. He practically had a sign on his forehead that he wants to bang you,” Hana explained, sounding exasperated. 

Hanzo paused. Had McCree really been acting like that? “I am sure you are mistaken. He is merely being friendly.”

“Suuuuuuuure. Keep telling yourself that.” 

“Good-night, Hana. Make sure to brush your teeth before you go to bed. And try not to play your game without the lights on, it will hurt your eyes. Also, sleeping before 5 A.M. would be advisable.”

“Geez, okay Dad, I get it!” Hana whined, but with a smile on her face. 

“Rest well.” Hanzo turned to leave.

“I’m really glad you joined Overwatch,” Hana said quietly behind him.

“I think I feel the same way,” Hanzo responded as he exited her room. 

Heading back into the kitchen, Hanzo was surprised to see McCree seated at the bar. His talk with Hana was much longer than usual. Noticing the archer, McCree tipped his hat at him.

“There you are. Was wondering when you’d get back.”

Hanzo raised an eyebrow. “How did you know I would be coming back?”

McCree jerked a thumb in the direction of the sink. “Your tea’s still out. You're not one to leave a mess.”

McCree lifted his own cup and drank a bit. This was also new. McCree usually didn’t have anything to drink when he would stop in to talk with Hanzo. Noticing his questioning gaze, McCree set down his drink. “Don’t worry, I’m not drinking up your tea. Just thought I’d have a little whiskey to calm the nerves.”

“Did something unpleasant happen today?” Hanzo asked. Heading to the teapot, he quickly poured some tea into his cup. Turning back to McCree, he was surprised to catch the cowboy staring at him. Hana’s question popped into his mind, but he pushed the thought down.

“McCree? I asked if something happened today.”

Blinking at him, McCree sighed. “None of the crap I haven’t heard before. I’d rather just not think about it right now, sweetie.”

About to correct the nickname, Hanzo stopped himself as he watched McCree down the rest of his whiskey. The man seemed incredibly tired and it didn’t seem worth it.

“I would recommend you rest. Possibly sleep in. The weather is getting colder and you might catch a cold if you are not properly taking care of yourself.”

“Warms my heart to hear you worrying about me,” McCree said, sounding more like his usual self.

“You are likely to be a future teammate and your health should be of some importance to me. I would not like for a mission to fail solely due to your negligence,” Hanzo stated.

Placing a hand on his chest, McCree dramatically leaned back in his chair. “A shot to the heart! Gonna need to start calling you cupid with how you’ve been hitting me lately.”

“Please be serious. I think it is time for bed.” Taking McCree’s glass, Hanzo went over to wash the dishes.

“Ah, let me help you with that.” McCree wandered over and grabbed a towel. Drying the dishes and putting them away, the work was quickly finished. 

“So, my room or your’s?” McCree questioned as Hanzo dried off his hands. Hanzo nearly dropped the towel, as he looked up at the cowboy in shock.

Winking at him, McCree chuckled. “Don’t have to look so shocked. I wasn’t exactly being subtle before either, but you didn’t seem to be getting the hint. Might as well be romancing a rock.”

Hana had actually been right? “Do not tease me,” Hanzo couldn’t stop himself from snapping.

Brushing past the other man, Hanzo stormed towards his bedroom.

“Hey, I’m not teasing you. I genuinely am trying to start something here,” McCree said, as he walked catching up to Hanzo.

Whipping around to face him, McCree almost ran into the archer. “I do not have any interest in what you are planning. I am here to atone, not become your toy. I would appreciate it if you would leave me to my work and not try to disturb me with your foolishness.”

McCree examined Hanzo’s face for a bit before shrugging. “I apologize if I gave you the wrong idea in any way, but I’m honestly not trying to mess with you. You are, in my opinion, the prettiest thing I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

Hanzo couldn’t help the blush that spread across his cheeks at the comment. Noticing this, McCree leaned down. With his face close enough that Hanzo could feel his breath, McCree smirked. “You may not be ready right now, but I think I’ll be able to convince you to give me a chance. Just gonna take me a bit of time.”

Hanzo narrowed his eyes and backed away. “You will be waiting an eternity.”

“Worth it. I’m a surprisingly patient man when I wanna be.”


	4. Constant Questions

The days after McCree’s “confession” were not noticeably different from the days before. Except for the fact that McCree inserted himself almost constantly into every aspect of Hanzo’s schedule.

Hanzo did not remember when McCree woke previously, but now the cowboy was up every morning to eat breakfast with him. Sometimes McCree would even have breakfast prepared for Hanzo when he awoke. 

Every meal was now spent with McCree sitting as close as possible to him, which both annoyed and pleased Hana simultaneously. Whenever Hanzo would glance at the girl, she would make faces behind McCree’s back. Some of what she did was funny, but mostly inappropriate.

And the other members were quick to realize the sudden change. Which only made Hanzo’s life harder.

——————————————————————————-

“Brother, it seems you and McCree are becoming close. I am glad for you.”

“It is quite a joyous occasion to see such fondness amongst team members.”

“Ah you and Jesse are just too cute, love!”

“You dudes look great together! Congrats!”

“AH! Our noble cowboy has sworn his life to another!”

“This is so nice. Perhaps you can convince Jesse to quit smoking? I am sure you are also concerned about his health.”

"Zwee? Doot doot, deet?" 

——————————————————————————-

Hanzo was ready to strangle him. Yet, he could not do so right now. Right now, he had a meeting with Dr. Winston.

“After reviewing your practice scores, I fully believe that you will be a valuable member on any mission we send you on,” Winston said, jotting down a few notes.

“Will I be sent on a mission soon?” Hanzo was beginning to feel a bit bored of the base, the practice robots were too easy for his liking.

“Within another week or so, but I would like to have you go through some group training. As a sniper, you will mostly be operating alone, but it is still important to know which members will most benefit from your support. As you can probably understand, we wish to have balanced teams, as we have come to understand that such teams produce optimal results.”

Hanzo nodded. “When will I begin group training?”

“Simulations are a standard practice that we do at the base. We try to schedule three days at the end of each month, but the timing can change if there is an emergency. But if things are fine, we should be running simulations next week.”

“I see.”

Glancing down at his notes, Winston paused for a bit. “Actually I don’t have this section filled in yet, do you have the time for another few questions?”

“I do.”

“Which of the current team members do you feel you would work well with? Do you have any specific requests on who you would like to be teamed up with?”

Hanzo frowned, confused. “I get to choose my team based on personal preference? The choices should be made on balancing teams, correct?”

“Ah, yes. Skill balancing is weighed more heavily, but there are certain members who tend to work better together. If there are multiple options on who to send, personal preferences are then taken into consideration.”

“I understand. How many members would you like me to name?”

“As many as you see fit.”

“Genji and D.Va are the only two I would currently have preference to be stationed with,” Hanzo stated.

Winston wrote down the names before glancing back up. “Would you like me to add McCree’s name as well?”

Hanzo’s eye twitched. That damned cowboy… “No.”

Winston looked confused, but didn’t write anything else. “Well, thank-you for your time. The simulations will be automatically added to your calendar once the dates are confirmed by a majority of team members.”

Hanzo bowed, before quickly exiting Winston’s lab. Walking down the hallway, he froze when he heard the familiar sound of spurs. Immediately, he turned around and walked in the other direction, careful not to make any noise.

“Ah! There you are! Finished up your meeting?”

Hanzo’s shoulders sank as he turned to see McCree walked down the hall towards him.

“I am going to go meditate.”

“Mind if I join ya?”

Hanzo groaned. “I do mind. I need a quiet environment to meditate.”

“You saying I can’t keep my trap shut?” McCree asked, pretending to be offended.

“That is precisely what I am saying. When do you plan to stop irritating me?”

“Well, since I’m going for a relationship… And I don’t plan on changing myself… I guess I plan on irritating you for the rest of our lives,” McCree chuckled.

“You think acting this way will make me grow more fond of you?” Hanzo asked.

McCree sighed. “Look, I don’t exactly have a great record when it comes to my romantic life. So, if you have a suggestion for what I could do, go ahead. I’m very open to any ideas. Especially since you’re the person I’m pining after.”

“You want a suggestion on how to please me?” Hanzo asked, slowly.

Nodding enthusiastically, McCree grinned widely. “Yessir, what can I do to make you happy?”

Walking past the man, Hanzo chuckled darkly. “You are asking the wrong person. Do you really think I know how to bring myself happiness? Do you really think that’s what I desire? You know nothing about me.”


	5. Any Advice?

“You wish to know what?” Genji asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

McCree sighed. “I said, I want to know what kinda stuff your brother likes.”

“Why?” Genji asked innocently.

“You know why,” McCree grumbled.

Genji chuckled before placing a hand on McCree’s shoulder. “I do, but I am not sure I can be of any help to you. I have just begun to rekindle a relationship with my brother after more than a decade of us being separated. I am still a stranger to him as well.”

“Well, what did he used to enjoy doing?”

“I… also do not know,” Genji quietly replied.

McCree crossed his arms. “Wait, you have no idea what kinds of things your own brother likes?”

Genji sighed. “Before our… conflict, Hanzo and I had very different lives. I chose to be irresponsible and constantly disobey the clan. I would sneak out of the castle whenever I was able. Hanzo, being the responsible one, would spend his days being groomed to be the clan leader. I honestly do not know if he had any hobbies or interests due to his commitment to working. Back then, I never would have thought to ask.”

“So what should I do?”

“Perhaps ask someone else? I know that he is friendly with Hana.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too. Not quite sure why though, the two seem as different as can be.”

“I would perhaps say the same for us, but we are friends.”

McCree nodded. “Yeah, I guess you gotta point there. Got any clue where she might be?”

“It is still before noon, so it is highly likely that she may still be asleep.”

“Geez, these new kids have it so much easier than when I joined. Well, I’ll talk to you later.” McCree turned to walk away, but felt a hand on his arm.

“Jesse, thank-you for caring for him. I know Hanzo can be difficult, but I do believe he deserves to be free.”

“Free? From what?” McCree asked, turning his head to glance at the ninja.

“From his sadness, his anger, his guilt. I think he has suffered enough.”

“Well, I’ll do my best.”

“Thank-you.”

————————————————————————————————

Glancing at his phone, McCree knew he’d probably be denied by D.Va. It was only 8 in the morning and the girl was notorious for sleeping in until 2. Knocking on the door, he was ready to give up and try again later when he heard a shuffle inside.

“Yeah?”

“It’s McCree. Can I come in?”

“Uh, yeah sure,” D.Va replied, sounding distracted.

Walking in, McCree found the girl sitting on top of her bed playing a game. Taking off her headphones, she looked up in confusion at the cowboy.

“You’re up early.”

She frowned before looking at her clock. “Oh, shit it’s already 8. Hanzo’s going to nag at me for a week if he finds out. Promise you won’t tell him?” 

McCree chuckled. Sitting in her desk chair, he swiveled so it faced her. “I promise if you’ll help me out with something.”

Turning her game off, she nodded at him. “Sure, go for it.”

McCree scratched the back of his neck, unsure of how to start. “So, I noticed you and Hanzo are pretty close…”

D.Va’s face instantly transformed into a mischievous grin. “Go on.”

“I was just kinda curious how you managed that is all.”

“Are you sure that’s all you’re curious about?” D.Va teased.

“Well, if you got anything else I’m all ears.”

“Wow, you couldn’t be any more obvious. Have you tried hanging a sign around your neck that says ‘please bone me Hanzo?” 

McCree rubbed at his eyes in irritation. “Look, are you going to help me or not?”

“Yeah, I’ll help you. I was just teasing you. Do you have any specific questions?”

“How did you two become friends so fast?” McCree thought he might as well start at the beginning.

“Oh, I brought him tea on the first day he got here. We talked for a bit and he seemed to appreciate it. After that, we just kinda kept talking.”

“That’s it?”

“Well…” she paused.

“What?”

“You can’t tell him I told you this, got it?”

McCree nodded. “Secret’s safe with me.”

“Kay, well I think he’s kinda homesick. He seems to enjoy when I ask him questions about his hometown and Japan. Questions about his family aren’t good, but just little things seem to work. He also gets super happy when I do small things to help him out, like make him tea or save a spot for him. I think it makes him feel less like an outsider here.”

“So just small questions about his life, but nothing with family. And nice gestures. Okay, that doesn’t seem so bad. I feel like I’ve tried to do those things already though and it doesn’t seem to have worked.”

D.Va thought for a minute before frowning. “Well, it might be because you’re trying to be romantic. I think it’s easier for him to get along with me because he kinda treats me like a little sister. He’ll sometimes randomly say that something we’re doing reminds him of when him and Genji were younger. I think he’s just kinda lonely, but doesn’t really know what to do. Maybe you should just try to be his friend first?”

“I thought I tried that too, but maybe I jumped the gun a little too fast. How’d you get so smart?” McCree teased. D.Va stuck her tongue out at the cowboy.

“Hey, I’m super smart! Mei’s even been teaching me about some of her research!”

“Well, it doesn’t take much to be smarter than this old fool. I just feel like nothing I do will work.”

“Just, I dunno, pay attention to what Hanzo does like. He can seem kinda grumpy, but he does have a sense of humor. Maybe you just have to be a little less… flirty with him. I don’t think being flirty and pushy is going to make him like you.”

“Yeah, I get that. I guess I just never had to change my ways since I was never trying for anything more than a fling,” McCree groaned.

“You are serious about him, right?” D.Va asked.

“I am. I don’t know what it is, but I just… I have a good feeling about him. Feels different than I’ve felt about other people,” McCree admitted.

“Well, I’ll try to do what I can to help you, but he’s pretty stubborn. It might take a while.”

“Like I’ve already told Hanzo, I got time.”


	6. Cool as a Cowboy

Even after his talk with D.Va, McCree still wasn’t feeling too confident about any sort of future relationship with Hanzo. The man was just so… caught up in the past. Yet, he kinda still felt like he had a shot with the archer. Hanzo hadn’t acted disgusted by Jesse’s flirting, but honestly the cowboy didn’t even know if the archer swung his way. What if Hanzo wasn’t even attracted to men? Well, Genji and D.Va would’ve told him, right? Maybe they didn’t even know.

With all of these thoughts flying through his head, McCree definitely wasn’t paying close enough attention to where he was going. So much so, that he almost completely collided with someone before finally registering where he was and who was in front of him.

“Oh, um… Hi Hanzo,” McCree said weakly. Taking D.Va’s advice, he tried to sound less eager and remain calm. “How is your day?”

Hanzo raised his eyebrows in surprise. No cheesy grin. No nicknames. Just a normal greeting. “My day has been fine. And your’s?”

“Good. Just had a talk with D.Va, so now I was just gonna go to the shooting range.”

Hanzo crossed his arms. “Hana was awake to talk to you?”

Oh, right. “Ummm, yeah. She must’ve just felt like getting up early today. You know, she’s a good kid…”

“She stayed up all night playing her game.” It wasn’t even a question.

“Yeah, but please don’t bother her about it. I promised her I wouldn’t let you know, since she didn’t want you getting upset,” McCree said as he held his hand up in a pleading motion.

Hanzo chuckled. “I suppose, since she does seem to feel guilty about it.”

McCree quickly had to wipe the dumb grin off of his face at Hanzo’s good mood. Trying to calm down, he scratched the back of his neck, not looking directly at Hanzo. “Um, so… You busy right now? Like I said earlier, i’m off to the shooting range if you’d like to join me?”

“I was just taking a walk, so…” McCree internally cursed at himself for being pushy and was ready to make a quick exit, but Hanzo continued. “Well, I suppose I would not mind training now. Genji spoke highly of your shooting abilities, so I will admit that I am curious to see for myself.”

McCree froze. Wait, he had said yes? “Um, well I dunno how well I compare to a master assassin archer, but I do think I’m a pretty good shot,” McCree replied, hoping Hanzo hadn’t noticed his shock.

“We shall see about that,” Hanzo teased as he began walking to the shooting range.

Feeling like he had to pick his jaw up from the floor, McCree quickly caught up to the man. McCree made a mental note to order all of D.Va’s favorite foods. That girl was a genius.


	7. Shared Anxieties

Sitting in the shooting range, McCree and Hanzo were both preparing their weapons for practice. McCree knew he had to focus on loading his gun, but every few seconds he would glance over at Hanzo adjusting his bow. Quickly, however, the archer was done and McCree had to force his eyes down so he wouldn’t be caught.

“Do you not regularly maintain your gun?” Hanzo asked.

“What? I do,” McCree responded, confused by the question. Did his gun look bad or something?

“I did not mean to offend, but it is taking you longer than expected to prepare.”

“That’s just me being a little off today, nothing to do with Peacekeeper here,” McCree said, patting his gun affectionately.

McCree was surprised when Hanzo stood and moved close to the cowboy. McCree froze, unsure how to react when the archer leaned towards him. “You have a spur on your gun,” Hanzo remarked, sounding annoyed.

Glancing down, McCree gave himself a second to calm himself before smiling up at the archer. “Yeah, what’s the point of shooting if you don’t look good doing it?”

“The point is to hit the target,” Hanzo replied, straightening his back and moving toward the shooting area.

Standing up, McCree moved to follow him. “Well, yeah, but I already know I can do that. I might as well add a little flair to the fiesta.” 

“To show off?”

“No, course not. This job can get ya down sometimes, might as well have fun when you can.”

Hanzo seemed to consider McCree’s words before shaking his head. “This job is not a game. Messing around will only lead to unnecessary injuries and casualties.”

“You think I don’t know that?” McCree raised his left hand and wiggled the robotic fingers a few times. 

“Yet you continue to behave irresponsibly. You know the consequences and yet you have chosen to remain ignorant to how you should change.”

“I… Wow, honestly haven’t been chewed out like that in a while. Not since the old days when I was the kid running around,” McCree scratched at his beard, feeling annoyed. 

“And you still behave like a child. Running around, making jokes, and being flashy.”

McCree’s eye twitched and he felt the sudden urge to take a long smoke break. “Are we gonna shoot or what? Didn’t come in here for another lecture.” Brushing past Hanzo, McCree lined himself up with the target range and pressed the tablet to start up the target robots. Lining up Peacekeeper, he quickly landed a headshot in all six robots. Before all six could even be replaced, he destroyed the incoming robots without delay. Shooting usually didn’t cause him this much stress, but he could feel Hanzo’s eyes on him. 

“Are you just gonna stand back there all day?” McCree tried not to sound too harsh, but he couldn’t help the edge in his tone. Why did Hanzo have to ruin his perfectly good time with yet another lecture? The archer didn’t have any right to judge him, at least McCree had never killed a family member. Well, almost killed.

“I… I apologize.”

McCree turned to see Hanzo staring at the ground. “Look, you didn’t say anything I haven’t heard before, so it isn’t…”

Hanzo held his hand up to stop McCree. “I feel the need to apologize because I spoke out of line. You are clearly a skilled shooter and I believe I was projecting some… unnecessary anger onto you.”

“Any reason in particular you suddenly got sour? You seemed like you were actually in an okay mood for once,” McCree couldn’t help but tease him a little.

Hanzo sighed. “Your… flashy way of fighting, it reminded me of Genji. To be more exact, it reminded me of Genji when we were younger.”

“And that made you mad?”

Hanzo nodded. “Genji used to only care for appearances and was not dedicated to his training. Secretly, I harbored a great deal of anger towards him back then. He was slacking off and having fun, but his games were causing problems for the clan.”

“And you’re worried I’m gonna cause problems?”

“No… Possibly,” Hanzo admitted. “Many of the members here are incredibly talented, but seem to also not be taking this seriously. I may have been beginning to feel frustrated that I was being forced to trust people who I do not think are serious about this. Worse than that, maybe I felt scared…”

McCree frowned. “Scared? You?”

The corner of Hanzo’s lips tightened, but he still wasn’t smiling. “Genji’s life is also being entrusted to this group. And, as I become closer with the people here, I will inevitably lose someone here. It is impossible that we should all be in such a dangerous position and all come out of this alive.My worrying and seriousness is an attempt at delaying the inevitable.”

“You’re actually starting to be one of us now,” McCree gave him a sad smile. Placing Peacekeeper in his holster, McCree turned off the target robots. “You know, we all have those exact same worries. And we all have our own ways of dealing with them. You act grumpy and give lectures. I joke around and pretend like it is never gonna happen. We all have found our ways of dealing.”

“You have nightmares every night?” Hanzo asked quietly.

McCree chuckled, but it was a sad sound. “Why do you think I stay up and have a drink with you every night? Have to be downright exhausted to sleep and not have nightmares. Or I just try to take naps during the day. Ang doesn’t know what to do with me, since drugs have never really worked.”

“That isn’t healthy.”

“I know, but I’m guessing from your question that you don’t have a solution either.”

Hanzo shook his head. “I… I see it almost every night. Genji’s blood coating my blade, my hands. I used to use blades and shurikens like Genji, but could not continue doing so after. Seeing blood on a blade is enough to make me feel sick. But, a few nights ago was much worse…”

McCree put his hand on Hanzo’s shoulder. “You don’t gotta tell me if you don’t wanna. I know what it’s like to only have nightmares.”

“I saw everyone here… Covered in blood. And I was the only one standing. I do not know if I can go through with being an agent. Perhaps it would be better if I remain on my own.”

“You can’t go doing that. Not after everything Genji’s done to get ya here. And you leaving would break D.Va’s heart.” McCree chose not to mention how he would feel if Hanzo left.

Hanzo sighed before nodding. “I apologize for using up your time with my… with my personal insecurities.” Hanzo backed away from McCree, looking ready to dash out of the room.

McCree leaned forward quickly and grabbed Hanzo’s wrist. “Hey, you don’t gotta apologize about that. I think… I think we could both learn to change a bit. I’ll try to take missions more seriously, but you gotta promise me that you don’t just bottle everything up. It’s gonna make you too anxious to focus when we’ll need you to.”

Hanzo nodded. “I understand.”

McCree gave him a soft smile. “Good, now maybe you should go make yourself some tea and go take a nap. You’re the only person I’ve ever met who looks more tired than me.”

Hanzo made a soft sound of amusement. “I will make tea for both of us. You should also attempt to rest.”

“I appreciate the offer, but tea’s not really my nectar. I’d rather be taking a shot of whiskey.”

Hanzo shook his head, but was smiling. “Another unhealthy habit.”

“Fix one unhealthy habit at a time. If I’m expected to be working on my sleeping, you better not be taking away my other crutches. If you managed to get rid of all of those, well, Ang would probably retire and personally hand you her medical license.”

“Come, perhaps I can convince you to have tea if I mix some whiskey into it.”

“Now, you’re starting to speak my language.”


	8. Ocean Breeze

Staring out at the ocean, Hanzo quietly sat and drank his tea. After a hot shower, the warm drink and cool breeze felt nice. Especially since he was so tired from the days of team simulations. Winston had analyzed his results and determined Hanzo would be best suited for missions in the cities, an obvious choice as the archer would need high locations to snipe from. It was also determined that he was well suited for teams whose members had limited mobility. So, it was no surprise when Winston listed off McCree as a likely team member for most of his upcoming missions. Hana would also be frequent as she would need cover when flying around in her mech, but Hanzo was not likely to be needed on missions to cover Genji.

The cowboy was not as irritating as Hanzo had initially determined. He was loud and his humor was not always funny, but he was a calming presence to Hanzo nonetheless. Maybe because Hanzo didn’t feel like he had to lie to McCree. He already knew about his nightmares and troubles, so there wasn’t much left that he couldn’t share. Well, except for one thing… 

“There ya are,” Hanzo turned just as McCree sat down next to him. McCree had a citrusy smell floating around him and his hair was wet. Hanzo felt the urge to lean closer to the man, but denied it. Yes, the one thing he couldn’t tell McCree. He had realized his attraction towards the ridiculous cowboy.

“You have finished your simulations as well?” Hanzo inquired, trying to sound calm.

“Yeah, heard what I do every month. Gotta stop going off on my own so much. Stop trying to engage targets that are too far away. Same old, same old. Well, guess that’s not true. Was told one new thing,” McCree chuckled as he shook his head in disbelief.

“What is it?”

Watching the crashing waves, McCree smiled softly. “I’m apparently allowed to go run off, as long as you can still see me. Apparently Winston thinks you’ll be good air support for me.”

Hanzo nodded. “From above, I will be able to either stop or warn you of incoming attackers. It is a solid strategy.”

“Yeah, but I kinda feel like they’re just trying to make you my babysitter.” McCree reached into his pocket to grab a cigar, but stopped when he saw Hanzo stare at it. McCree grunted, but put the cigar away.

“You are not going to smoke?” Hanzo was surprised to see the cigar gone.

“Like you care. I know you don't like the smoke.”

“I don’t, but I do not control what you do.”

McCree laughed. “You so sure about that? I’m beginning to think Jack recruited you, not Genji.”

Hanzo frowned at the cowboy. “What do you mean?”

McCree shook his head. “Nothing. Just teasing ya.”

As McCree stared out at the ocean, Hanzo couldn’t help but observe the man. He wasn’t unattractive, clearly, but Hanzo would have never imagined himself with a man like McCree. Hanzo wasn’t even sure when he had last harbored a crush on anyone. Ugh, calling it a crush sounded so childish. Yet, it hadn’t been since he was much younger that he had felt this way. Training to be the Shimada heir and then running after his betrayal, it had left little time for personal relationships. The ocean wind blew past them and McCree’s hat lifted. Before it flew completely away from them, Hanzo managed to grab it.

“Oh, thanks,” McCree said, sounding a little flustered. Hanzo held the hat out to the cowboy, who quickly took it. Instead of putting it back on his head, McCree held it in his lap. “Probably shouldn’t have been wearing it anyways, my hair’s still drying from the shower.”

“The hat means a lot to you?” Hanzo had been curious for a while, since it was worn so much by the other.

McCree nodded, rubbing a finger against the brim. “It’s a bit of a reminder. Of where I come from. My pa used to wear one before he passed. I wanted to be just like him, but times were rough back then. Fell into gang life, thinking I was invincible. I was just a kid. Just a dumb kid.”

“And your mother?” Hanzo asked.

McCree shook his head. “She tried so hard. Worked two jobs, but it was never enough. That’s why I started stealing at first. Just was trying to help her out, but didn’t want her knowing. Told her I got a job. She worked too much, didn’t even tell me she was sick till it was too late. I was just a teenager, didn’t know who to turn to. Gang told me they’d help me make money if I helped them on jobs. They did get me some money, but it wasn’t fast enough. When she died, I didn’t really have anywhere else to go. Joined the gang so I wasn’t homeless. Tried to think of them like a family, but they never really were. Never found my family till I came to Overwatch.”

“I am sorry about your parents,” Hanzo said, quietly.

McCree gave him a warm smile. “It’s alright. It happened a long time ago and I know there wasn’t really anything I could’ve done for either of them. I just keep the hat though, to remember them.”

Hanzo nodded and stared at the hat. Hanzo had never noticed, but it was quite old. Showing signs of how much it had been worn, it was holding up thanks to McCree’s good care of it. “It is getting late, perhaps we should both turn in for the night?” Glancing up at the cowboy, he couldn’t read the expression on his face. “McCree?”

“You know, you can call me Jesse.”

“Would you prefer that?” 

McCree still had that unreadable look on his face. It looked like he was frustrated? Or thinking of something? “I think so.”

Hanzo frowned, but nodded. “I understand, Jesse.” Hanzo only paused slightly, but he had said it. 

McCree leaned his face slightly closer, his shoulder lightly brushing against Hanzo’s. “Yeah, I would really like it if you continued calling me Jesse.”

Hanzo could feel his face warming, but tried to ignore it. “I understand.”

McCree was staring at Hanzo’s lips, making the archer feel nervous. “Say it one more time, please.”

Hanzo swiped his tongue across his lips, which caused McCree to lean in just a hair closer. “Jesse? Are you alright?” Hanzo breathed out.

Finally staring up at the archer, McCree smirked at Hanzo. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something else.”

“What is it?” Hanzo was sure McCree would hear his heart beating with how close he was.

“You don’t mind me being this close to ya, do you darlin’?”

Hanzo sat surprised for a second. McCree had stopped using the dumb nicknames so long ago, but it sounded different to Hanzo now. Instead of being irritated by it, Hanzo felt his face become redder. “And what makes you think that?” Hanzo challenged, surprised his voice was steady.

“Cause you’re looking like a blushing beauty right now. And here I was convinced that you would never fall for my flirting,” McCree whispered into Hanzo’s ear. The archer shivered slightly when he felt the other’s breath there. “Maybe we should go off to bed now?”

Hanzo quickly stood and covered the bottom half of his face with his hand, trying to hide his embarrassing blush. “I do not think that is the best idea right now. I am off to bed now.”

McCree stood and smiled as he pulled Hanzo’s hand away. Still holding onto his hat with his right hand, McCree ran his metal hand down Hanzo’s neck, settling at the base. “Can I at least have a good night kiss first?”

Hanzo looked away from him. “I am not sure if I am comfortable with that right now,” he admitted. 

McCree smiled. Leaning in, he placed a light kiss on Hanzo’s forehead. “Well, I can wait a little longer. Gotta make sure not to scare you off now that I’ve gotten so close. Good-night, darlin’.”

“Good-night, Jesse,” Hanzo muttered behind the cowboy as McCree walked away. Hanzo stood frozen to the spot, unsure of what the coming days would be like.


	9. Serious Talk

“You seem troubled brother. You usually do not struggle so much during our meditation sessions,” Genji said. “Are you alright?”

Hanzo frowned, but kept his eyes shut. “I am fine. Continue your meditation.”

“You do not sound at peace. I will leave you two, so that you may talk privately,” Zenyatta said and floated away from the pair. Once he was out of sight, Genji turned towards his brother.

“Did you have trouble with the simulations or concerns about your likely teammates? The members highest on your list of likely team members are all excellent and I am sure that you will do well with them.”

“It is not the simulation that is bothering me.”

Genji was quiet for a moment before laughing. Hanzo’s eyes shot open to glare at his brother.

“Why are you laughing?” Hanzo asked.

“Is it possible that McCree is still pursuing you? If his advances are unwelcome, I can talk to him for you.”

Hanzo rolled his eyes. “That is unnecessary…”

Genji stared questioningly at him. “You talked with McCree?”

“I did.”

“And he has agreed to stop pursuing you?”

“He has… not.”

“And you are irritated by this?”

“Not exactly.”

“You…” Genji trailed off, unsure of what to say next.

“McCree is the reason for my lack of focus, but not in the way that you think,” Hanzo finally admitted.

Genji stared at his brother. With his face covered, Hanzo had no idea what expression his brother had. “You… You have begun a relationship with McCree?”

“I am unsure… But I am not opposed to the idea,” Hanzo looked away in embarrassment. “Do not tell the others.”

Genji chuckled. “I am shocked brother. He broke through to you so quickly! It has been barely a month and he has already impacted you.”

Hanzo sighed. “Maybe I should reconsider… We have not talked if what we have begun is a relationship. Perhaps I should refuse him before it begins.”

“No, you should give yourself this chance. I want you to do this, Hanzo.”

“Why? Why are you pushing this?”

“Because I think this will be good for you. I have already seen what being here has done for you. I believe this is the next step for you. Please, brother, talk with McCree. Affirm your feelings for him.”

“I… I do not know how I should bring it up with him.”

“Just tell him soon. I know he has been obsessed with you for almost the entire time you’ve been here,” Genji teased.

Hanzo slowly stood and took a deep breath. “Do you have any idea where he would be at this time?”

Genji tapped on the side of his mask. “Master? Do you have any information on where McCree is at the moment?” Genji listened for a bit. “Thank-you Master. Yes, I will resume meditating. Hanzo will be leaving our session early today,” Tapping his mask again, Genji looked up at his brother. “McCree has just finished his breakfast and was heading towards his bedroom.”

“Thank-you.”

“Do not worry, brother. I am sure that he is also nervous.”

Nodding, Hanzo exited the room and walked briskly down the hall. No need to be nervous, just a pleasant talk with McCree. Just a talk. That would possibly determine the status of his relationship with the man. Just a normal talk.

Pausing in front of McCree’s door, Hanzo tried to calm down. Noticing it wasn’t working, he gave up and lightly knocked on the door. His heart beat sounded louder than the knock.

“Come in!”

Hanzo stepped in. And almost immediately stepped out. 

McCree was standing near his dresser with only a pair of jeans on his body. His torso was bare and on display for the archer. Swallowing slowly, Hanzo stood in the doorway as McCree turned to see who entered.

“Oh, uh, hey there!” McCree said. 

“Um, should I return at another time?” Hanzo asked, ready to dash out the door.

“No! No, come in. Close the door,” Hanzo did what he was told, but remained standing close to the exit. “I just spilled some grease on me while I was making bacon this morning. Go ahead and sit on the bed. Make yourself comfortable,” McCree dug through the dresser and pulled out a light brown button-up. Pulling it on, he began doing the buttons as he walked over to sit next to Hanzo. “So, what can I do for ya?”

Steadying himself, Hanzo straightened his back. “I believe we should have a discussion about… our…” Hanzo couldn’t help but struggle with the embarrassing topic.

McCree smiled. “You wanna talk about us?”

Hanzo nodded. “I think it is better to talk now, so there are no misunderstandings.”

“Well, you should already know how I feel by now. I’m more curious about what you’ve got to say.”

“I… I would not be opposed to furthering a relationship with you.”

McCree chuckled. “That’s not the most romantic way of putting it, but I guess I can accept it. So, you gonna be my boyfriend?”

Hanzo blushed and furiously shook his head. “That sounds so childish.”

McCree leaned on Hanzo and wrapped his arm around Hanzo’s shoulders. “Well, what would ya prefer I call ya? Partner? Darlin’? Sweetie?” McCree rested his face next to Hanzo’s. “Lover?” McCree whispered into Hanzo’s ear.

Hanzo shivered, but refused to turn and face the cowboy. Staring down at his hands, he mulled it over. “I do not mind being referred to as your partner. Though it sounds a bit ridiculous and cliche when you say it.”

“What? You mocking my accent, partner?”

Hanzo groaned. “Never mind. I do not prefer that one.”

“How about we just call it like it is? You’re mine and I’m your’s. Don’t need no fancy label when we know what we are to each other,” McCree said. Hanzo could hear the smile in his voice and felt McCree’s right hand squeeze his shoulder.

Turning to face McCree, Hanzo stared directly into his eyes. “My Jesse.”

At the words, McCree quickly looked away. “Shit.”

“What?” Hanzo asked, concerned that he had already messed up.

McCree covered his face with both his hands and groaned. “Don’t do that. Gonna give me a heart attack doing something so sweet. Damn it.”

Hanzo sat shocked for a second before laughing. “You are embarrassed so easily. For such a flirt, you have trouble with being flirted with.”

“Don’t laugh at me, darlin’. Can’t you see I’m suffering here?” McCree still had his face hidden. Curious, Hanzo reached over and brushed some of McCree’s hair back. Without his hat on and with his hair lifted, Hanzo could see that the tips of McCree’s ears had gone pink.

Leaning in, Hanzo decided to have some fun. Hanzo guided his chin to rest on McCree’s shoulder. “What should I do to make you feel better, Jesse?” Hanzo whispered.

McCree shivered, before groaning. “Nope. This isn’t gonna work. I’m supposed to be the smooth talker. You can't go turning me into a blushing mess. Taking away my dignity… Fuck.”

Hanzo quietly moved himself so he was kneeling in front of McCree. Pulling at McCree’s hands, he finally got the cowboy to look at him. “Are you always going to be so vulgar when I am around you?”

McCree looked ready to swear again, but instead he leaned down to rest his forehead against Hanzo’s. “Don’t ask me questions like that when you’re looking like that.”

Reaching up, Hanzo wound his hands into McCree’s hair. “Jesse…”

McCree smirked. “Don’t have to ask me twice,” he said, before pressing his lips against Hanzo’s.


	10. Rocky Start

“Leave me alone.”

“Hanzo, darlin’, come on. I said I was sorry!”

McCree’s laughter, however, had still not died down, making his apology pathetic. Hanzo glared at the cowboy and continued his brisk pace away from him.

“Stop following me.” 

“They were gonna find out eventually! There was no way Genji wasn’t gonna tell them!”

“Yet, it was still you who did it.”

“Why are you so embarrassed that the others know we’re dating? I just want everyone to know not to flirt with you!”

“Who else was flirting with me?”

“I don’t know. I just couldn’t help myself!”

“Well, maybe our time apart will give you time to practice your self-control.”

“Darlin’, please, Just want one kiss before you go off on your mission. It is hurting me enough that I’m not going on this one with you.”

“Thirteen hours! You only managed to keep it a secret for 13 hours! Five if I don’t count the amount of time you were sleeping!”

“Honey! We just started our relationship! I don’t want to have you all huffy with me already! What can I do to make it up to you? You leave in two hours! I gotta fix this before then or it’ll break my heart. Already gonna be moping around here as it is, but can’t be feeling guilty too.”

Hanzo finally stopped, having reached his bedroom door. Turning to face the cowboy, he grabbed McCree’s serape with both hands. “Listen next time I tell you to keep something a secret. Understand?”

McCree gulped, but nodded. “Of course. I really am sorry. Didn’t think they’d tease like that. I’ll be sure to talk to them about it, make sure they understand you aren’t comfortable with all that attention.”

“Good,” Hanzo pulled McCree against him and kissed him quickly. Pulling back slightly, he chuckled when McCree tried to lean in for another kiss. “Now, leave me alone so I can pack for my mission.” Hanzo released his hold on McCree’s serape. 

McCree snuck in another kiss. “Don’t miss me too much while you’re gone.”

Hanzo rolled his eyes. “I should be the one saying that to you.”

“Be safe, okay,” McCree said, quietly.

Hanzo gave him a warm smile. Resting his hand on McCree’s right wrist, he squeezed it gently. “Thank-you. I will be back soon.”


	11. Tired Cuddles

Stepping off of the airship, Hanzo stretched out his neck as he walked off the runway towards the base. As he walked, he was suddenly grabbed from behind.

“Bout time you got back!”

Hanzo had to calm himself, before turning. “Hello, McCree.”

The cowboy pouted. “I’ve waited so long for you to get back and this is how you respond? I got back from my mission a week before you. I’ve being getting a bit crazy here all cooped up with no one to cuddle.”

Hanzo sighed. “As unfortunate as that is for you, I am exhausted. That mission was twice as long as we expected, so I am going to go to my room and sleep.”

McCree stepped to the side, but quickly took hold of Hanzo’s hand. “Mind if I walk you there?” he asked, softly.

Hanzo sighed again, but smiled. “Fine, if you must.”

The two walked together, comfortably silent, until they reached Hanzo’s door. “I will come find you when I wake-up if it is a reasonable hour,” Hanzo stated. Ready to pass out, he almost missed noticing how McCree looked. Almost.

The cowboy had dark circles under his eyes, which looked like they were struggling to stay open. His deep frown seemed to age the man, worrying Hanzo. 

“Jesse, have you not been sleeping well?” Hanzo reached out to lift up McCree’s hat so he could see the man’s face better. Once it was off his head, Hanzo frowned. The man was clearly sleep deprived, looking like he had slept less than the archer.

McCree gave him a sad smile. “Can’t hide anything from your sharp eyes.”

“Jesse, is everything alright?”

“Yeah… Don’t worry too much about it. I just… This happens a lot.”

“What? Should I tell Dr. Ziegler?”

McCree chuckled. “No. Ang can’t do anything about it. Well, besides putting me on a shit load of drugs, but she’s not exactly fond of that idea when my occupation is handling a weapon.”

Hanzo considered the man in front of him. “Is there anything I can do?”

“I told you, don’t worry about it. I’m sure I’ll be better in no time.”

“You can tell me what is bothering you. I want to know what is troubling you.”

McCree smiled and lifted his right hand to cup Hanzo’s cheek. “And I appreciate your concern. i just… I’m not sure if I can share this right now. It’s not even anything that serious, just kinda embarrassing is all.”

“You will tell me at some point?”

“I promise, darlin’. Now, you get some shut eye. I’ll wanna hear all about your mission when ya wake up.”

“Jesse…” Hanzo paused, unsure what he wanted for a moment. Pushing down his own anxieties, he grabbed McCree’s wrists.

“Yes?” McCree glanced down at Hanzo’s hands for a second before looking back up.

“Come on.” Hanzo pulled McCree into his room. Pushing the cowboy towards his bed, Hanzo shut the door behind him.

“Um, darlin’? If you’re exhausted, I don’t know if this’ll be the best time for us to…”

Hanzo rolled his eyes. “I did not bring you in here for sex. We are both going to sleep. You mentioned earlier that you were craving physical contact.”

“What? When did I say that?” McCree asked.

“You said that you wanted someone to….” Hanzo sighed. “Cuddle… I am merely giving you what you asked for.”

McCree’s eyes widened in shock. “Wait… You’re gonna let me cuddle with you to get to sleep? You? Hanzo Shimada?”

“Do you want me to take back my offer?”

“No! No, just making sure.”

“Take off your shoes. I am going to take a shower before I sleep.”

“Gotcha.”

Hanzo showered quickly, wanting to sleep so badly. He was a little unsure if his decision was appropriate, but McCree had seemed pleased by the idea. 

Drying himself off, Hanzo pulled on his boxers and a soft pair of sweatpants. The base was well heated and it wasn’t like McCree hadn’t seen most of his upper body with how he usually dressed, so Hanzo decided to not bother finding a shirt. Might as well sleep comfortably since he was so exhausted.

Stepping out into the bedroom, McCree was leaning against the headboard. All he had removed were his boots and hat, which was resting on the table beside him. The cowboy gave a low whistle of appreciation as Hanzo approached the bed.

“You’re absolutely beautiful.”

Too tired to deal with McCree’s flirting, Hanzo merely climbed into the bed next to the cowboy. He kept his back turned away from the other man, still unsure of this idea.

“You don’t have to wear all of your clothing if it is going to be uncomfortable for you to sleep in.”

McCree chuckled. “Why don’t ya just admit you wanna see me naked? Be a lot more flattering.”

“The point of tonight is sleep. Do not get your hopes up.”

Hanzo felt the bed move, as McCree got off. Hearing the cowboy’s belt buckle hit the floor, Hanzo’s face flushed slightly. He was glad that he had chosen to not face the man. After a few more moments, the bed sunk slightly as McCree climbed in. 

“Am I allowed to hold you while we sleep?” McCree whispered.

“If it will help you get to sleep faster,” Hanzo’s reply was too fast, but he was still flustered not knowing how much clothing McCree was wearing.

Feeling a pair of bare arms wrap around his torso, Hanzo tightly shut his eyes and willed himself to fall asleep quickly. “Good-night, Hanzo,” McCree murmured.

Hanzo smiled. “Good-night Jesse.”


	12. Wake-up

Hanzo felt that something was wrong before he saw or heard anything. Blinking his eyes open, sunlight was barely visible behind the blinds, the room still relatively dark. At first, Hanzo was confused as to what had woken him up, he was still feeling quite tired. Turning on his side, he jumped when there was a quick movement beside him.

McCree was thrashing back and forth, kicking the sheets away from his body. Watching the intense amount of anguish fill the sleeping man’s face made Hanzo frown. Careful not to get smacked by the cowboy’s flailing appendages, Hanzo sat up. 

“Jesse. Jesse. Wake-up.” Hanzo softly ran his hand over McCree’s forehead, trying to gently wake him up. 

“Don’t… I can’t… Don’t make me…” McCree began to whisper, he sounded so scared.

“Jesse you need to wake-up,” Hanzo said. Hanzo began to comb his hand through McCree’s hair, which seemed to stop his harsh movements.

“Stop it!” 

Suddenly, Hanzo was on his back and McCree was on top of him. McCree still had his prosthetic on, having forgotten to remove it the night before, which scratched Hanzo’s cheek as they fell backwards. Quick to react, Hanzo just barely stopped the cowboy from punching him in the face. Holding both of McCree’s hands back, Hanzo struggled for a moment to push the man off. 

“Jesse… Jesse…” No use. “McCree! Wake-up!” Hanzo finally shouted.

McCree’s eyes shot open. “Wha… What is… Hanzo?” Staring at the archer beneath him, McCree was clearly confused. Leaning back, he rested on his knees, straddling Hanzo.

“Are you awake now?” Hanzo gradually sat up, aware of their positions, but too worried to be embarrassed. 

“Yeah, what just happened?”

Hanzo took a moment to catch his breath, tired from having to hold off the cowboy just moments prior. Even sleeping, McCree was strong and had taken a lot of effort to control. 

“I think you were having a nightmare,” Hanzo finally explained.

“Oh… Sorry bout that. Didn’t want to wake you.” McCree moved to get off of Hanzo, instead sitting next to him.

Reaching to his side, Hanzo flipped on the bedside lamp. Letting his eyes adjust to the light, Hanzo turned back to McCree. “Are you alright?”

A look of terror crossed McCree’s face for a second, scaring Hanzo. “Jesse… Jesse, is everything okay?”

“I’m so sorry. I… I…”

“Jesse, it is fine. You merely had a nightmare, there is no need to apologize for waking me.”

McCree shook his head before reaching out his right hand. Just before it reached Hanzo’s face, McCree pulled it back. “Hanzo, you’re bleeding. What did I do? I’m so sorry. I… I don’t… I didn’t…”

Hanzo reached up and sure enough, he felt a warm liquid on his cheek. “Jesse, it is fine. Just a scratch.”

McCree scrambled out of bed and towards the bathroom. He quickly returned with a damp towel. Just as before, he reached towards Hanzo, but recoiled at the last second. “Um, here you go.”

“Thank-you,” Hanzo gently began to wipe away any stickiness, but couldn’t tell if he had gotten it all. “How does it look now?”

McCree almost didn’t want to look. Slowly, he raised his eyes to survey the damage. “It’s still bleeding, but thin enough that it should just need a bandage.” Standing again, McCree ran back to the bathroom and quickly returned with a hand mirror and a large bandage. Handing the items to Hanzo, McCree merely stood next to the bed.

Taking the mirror, Hanzo dabbed away some more blood before applying the bandage. Based on the bleeding, it would likely need to be changed later, but for now it seemed it would hold up. Glancing at the cowboy, Hanzo frowned as he watched McCree slowly edge closer to the door.

“Where are you going?”

McCree froze. “I shouldn’t have slept here. I didn’t think… I’ve never done that to… I’m so sorry, Hanzo.”

“And so you are running away? Come back here, it is only,” Hanzo squinted at the wall clock. “4 in the morning. We can discuss this later, I am still tired from the mission.”

McCree returned to the bed, but only sat on the very edge of it. “You aren’t worried I’m gonna scratch you up again? Or worse?”

Hanzo leaned forward to tap on McCree’s prosthetic. “Remove this, you don’t need it in bed. With only one arm, I should have no trouble with you.”

McCree removed the metal and placed it gently on the ground next to the bed. “Hanzo, I don’t know…”

“Jesse, you are not the only person to have ever had a nightmare.”

“I know that, but I hurt ya!”

“If you want to make me feel better, go back to sleep. We can talk more when I am more coherent. Plus, I do not want your loud mouth waking any of the others.”

“None of the other rooms are that close…”

“McCree. Sleep now.” Hanzo grabbed both of McCree’s shoulders and pulled the cowboy down.

Still unsure of himself, McCree laid motionlessly on his back. Instead of curling up against Hanzo like before, he kept his right arm firmly planted against his right side, far away from Hanzo.

Frowning, Hanzo felt mildly embarrassed as he rested his head against McCree’s left shoulder. “You don’t gotta do that, sweetheart. I understand if you just wanna sleep normally,” McCree murmured.

Being stubborn, Hanzo nuzzled in closer to McCree and placed a kiss on the cowboy’s neck. “Good-night.”

“…”

Hanzo lightly ran his teeth against McCree’s neck until he felt the cowboy shiver. “Do not be rude. I said, good-night, Jesse.”

McCree sighed. “Night…”


	13. Coward

After such a dramatic time change, Hanzo wasn’t surprised that he awoke when the sun was beaming into the room. Blinking open his eyes, he turned his head.

“Jesse?”

Hanzo sat up and looked around. McCree was nowhere to be seen and his clothing was gone. Frowning, Hanzo rubbed his eyes. 

Hanzo quickly got dressed. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he could see that some of his blood had stained the bandage. Ripping it off, he cleaned up some dried blood from the night before and applied a new bandage. It was around noon, but no one was expecting to see him much today. He had already been told from Hana that is was common for them to sleep away the entire next day to try and correct schedules and fight fatigue.

Heading towards the kitchen, he nodded at Torbjörn, who was repairing a turret in the common room. Satya was seated in the dining room, reading an article on her tablet. She glanced up when he walked passed, but said nothing.

In the kitchen, Hanzo prepared himself a bowl of cereal and some tea, not feeling like preparing anything more complicated. 

“Hello. Did you rest peacefully after your taxing mission?” Zenyatta asked as he floated into the room.

“I did.”

“That is good. Has the meditation been assisting you in your endeavors to sleep more serenely?”

Hanzo considered the question for a moment. He has slept well last night, far better than the nights previously. Was the meditation finally helping? Or had it been because of… Hanzo’s face flushed at the idea that McCree’s presence had helped him. Denying the thought, he nodded at the monk. “I believe it has.”

“Good. If it is alright with you, I must be on my way…” Zenyatta murmured in his peaceful tone. As he passed by, however, he stopped when he was closer to Hanzo.

“Is your injury from the mission? You were not wearing any bandages when unloading.”

Hanzo stared down at his cereal. “I merely cut myself grooming. Carelessness that likely stemmed from some residual tiredness.”

Zenyatta considered this for a moment before nodding. “Very well. I will be going… Hello.” 

Hanzo turned to see Zenyatta float passed McCree, who had paused in the doorway. The cowboy nodded at the passing omnic, before his eyes settled on Hanzo. Instead of coming in and talking, McCree nodded at the archer before disappearing around the corner.

Sighing, Hanzo finished up his meal. While washing the dishes, he considered if he should talk to the cowboy. He didn’t realize how tense he was until he felt a tap on his shoulder and jumped.

“Kuso!” Hanzo unintentionally swore.

“Woah! Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you!” 

Hanzo turned to see Hana standing behind him. Taking a few deep breaths, he shook his head. “No, I am sorry for my language. I should have not been so immersed in my thoughts.”

Frowning up at him, Hana pointed her finger at his bandage. “You okay?”

“I am fine. It is but a scratch.”

Hana wandered around the counter to sit at the bar. “That’s surprising. Thought no one could hit you! Always climbing walls and jumping around like a ninja.”

Hanzo chuckled. “It was not an enemy, I just happened to scratch myself shaving.”

Hana frowned. “No you didn’t!”

Hanzo blinked in surprise. “What?”

Puffing out her cheeks, Hana let out a groan.”You know, you aren’t a very good liar. So, what’s up? You seemed okay when we were on the mission.”

“You can keep a secret?”

“Duh, of course! What do you take me for? I’m not a blabbermouth like gramps!”

“Gramps?”

“Reinhardt,” Hana replied, rolling her eyes.

“Well, it would probably help to discuss this with someone more… socially intelligent than myself.”

“Ooooh you having dating probs?”

“I am concerned that McCree is avoiding me.”

“Why would he do that? He’s been obsessed with you since you got here.”

“McCree accidentally scratched me, but he is taking it much more seriously than I thought he would.”

Hana laughed. “What? That’s kinda stupid. You should just tell him again that you’re okay. He’s just a huge worrywart.”

“I suppose…”

“Honestly though, you should make him apologize some more.”

“Why?”

“Cause he’s the one in the wrong. First he scratched you, then he’s avoiding you. What a baby. Look, if you don’t know what to say to him, just wait until he comes crawling back to you. Given how gross he is when he looks at you, I’d give him, like, another hour at most.”

“I am not sure if that is appropriate. He might get the wrong idea.”

Hana shrugged. “Whatever you wanna do. But, I think your plan should include making me pancakes before you decide,” Hana batted her eyelashes at Hanzo, pouting out her lips. “Pleeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaase, Hanzo? Mercy won’t make me pancakes cause she says they’re unhealthy and 76 wakes up too early in the morning. I asked gramps once, but he added weird stuff to them. You know I can’t cook, so pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaase! I’ll be your best friend!”

Hanzo chuckled. “What were you before?”

Hana’s eye lit up. “Wait, you really thought of me as your best friend? Awwwwwww.”

Before he could react, she had jumped around the corner to give him a hug. Instead of pushing her off, Hanzo patted her shoulder. “Alright, enough of this. I will make you your pancakes.”

“Yay! Yay!” Hana twirled around the kitchen. “Oh, hey cowboy!” She smirked at McCree who had reentered the kitchen. 

“Um, hey kid. I’ll…um… yeah…” McCree exited the room again. Hana laughed.

“Ugh, I see what you mean. He probably just wants to talk to you in private.”

Hanzo frowned. “Well, he will have to say that to me himself. I believe I will let him do the work of apologizing.”

“Good for you! Now, I would like chocolate chips in my pancakes. And, can you make the pancakes cat and bunny shaped?”

Hanzo sighed, but got to work on her request.

———————————————————————————————

Hana at least had the decency to do the dishes after finishing eating. Though, Hanzo would need to make sure to check those dishes and possibly re-clean them later, when she wasn’t around. 

Wanting to play a new game Hana decided to head back to her room. Hanzo patted her head before she left, lightly ruffling her hair. Hana groaned at him, but he could tell that she appreciated his show of affection with how she gave him a quick hug after.

Wandering outside, Hanzo wasn’t sure what he was going to do for the rest of the day. He briefly considered going to search for McCree, but thought it would be better to let the cowboy decide when he wished to talk. Walking over to the cliffs, Hanzo settled himself onto the flat stone. Gazing out at the ocean, he shivered slightly at the cold breeze. Soon, it would be too cold to sit outside for any amount of time.

“Ummm, hi…”

Hanzo wasn’t surprise to hear McCree’s deep voice just a few minutes after sitting.

“Hello, Jesse.”

“Ummmm… Is it okay if I join you for a bit?”

“Of course. Why do you feel the need to ask?”

McCree lowered himself to the ground, not as close to Hanzo as the archer expected. “Well, just wanted to make sure… Wasn’t too sure if you were gonna be pissed at me.”

“What would I be upset about?”

McCree groaned. “Don’t play dumb, you’re way too smart for that.”

“Well, while you have done a few things that were… possibly anger inducing, I was inquiring what you were apologizing for in particular.”

“Well, I guess I’m apologizing for a lot of shit. For cutting you, for not telling you what was wrong, for ditching you before you woke up, for avoiding you, and for getting jealous,” McCree blurted out.

“For being a coward?” Hanzo added.

McCree hung his head. “For being a damn coward. Yeah, that’s true.”

“And?”

McCree looked up in shock. “Shit, am I forgetting something?”

Hanzo laughed, which caused McCree to stiffen in shock. “You have not said sorry yet. At least, since you came here to talk with me.”

McCree sighed. Taking off his hat, McCree turned to face the other man. “I am so sorry, Hanzo. I know we didn’t really do anything last night, but still felt mighty guilty walking out on ya. Felt like one of those no-good ditchers, just using ya.”

“Jesse, you were not using me. I was more concerned as to why you were not around when I awoke.”

“I was using you though. You were nothing but nice, even after I scratched you up. Didn’t even send me away and look what I did. Hightailed it out of there before you could even wake up. Didn’t even know how to greet you when I saw ya.”

Hanzo considered McCree’s words, but suddenly something came to his attention. “Wait, when did you get jealous?”

McCree laughed, but his face showed his embarrassment. “Well, after I ran away from you the second time… Ummm…”

“When Hana was in the kitchen?”

McCree nodded. “Yeah… Look, I know she’s just your pal, but I was jealous to see you hugging her in the kitchen.”

Hanzo rolled his eyes. “To be fair, she was hugging me since I agreed to make her pancakes. Also, I see Hana as a younger sister. And, I will emphasize the younger aspect. Although she is an adult, she is still far too young for me. She is also not exactly my type, if you have not realized by my acceptance of you,” Hanzo concluded with an eyebrow raised and a smirk.

McCree’s face darkened. “Well… yeah.. I know, but…”

“But?”

“Still didn’t stop me from getting a little jealous and maybe punching a wall.”

“You punched a wall?”

“Not that hard! And not just because of being jealous. I was mostly just frustrated at myself.”

Hanzo reached a hand out to comb through McCree’s hair. “Jesse, I told you last night that I was not mad. Why did you avoid me?”

“Didn’t wanna talk about my nightmare.”

“You do not have to feel forced to tell me.”

McCree sighed. “But I feel like I do gotta tell you, darlin’. Cause, the nightmare was about you.”

“What?”

McCree dropped his hat to his lap and ran both hands around the edges. He looked unsure of how to continue, but his fidgeting didn’t seem to be helping him calm down.

“Jesse, you still do not have to feel pressured to tell me,” Hanzo said, barely louder than the sounds of the waves.

“You… I don’t even remember the whole thing, but I remember standing above your body. You were covered in so much blood, but when I trying to reach for you… I just…” McCree’s voice cracked. “Something started to pull me away from you. I shouted for them to let me stay with you. Didn’t want to leave you behind. But it wouldn’t stop pulling me away. And then, woke up and you were bleeding. Then, finding out I was the one who hurt ya… I just couldn’t…” McCree turned his face away from Hanzo, but the archer could see how his shoulders shook.

“Jesse, it was just a dream.”

“I’ve always had nightmares like these, but never for someone that I was.. That I…”

“Jesse?”

“Always had these dreams about loved ones, but not about someone I’m in love with,” McCree blurted out.

Hanzo was shocked. Jesse… Loved him? “You… You love me?”

McCree froze. Turning to Hanzo, he slowly nodded. “I’m sorry. Probably said that way too soon and you’re gonna think I’m mad. I just, I do think I’ve fallen for you, Hanzo.”

“We have only known each other for a short amount of time.”

“Doesn’t matter to me.”

“I… I am not sure if I…”

“Hanzo?”

“I…”

“Sweetheart, you don’t gotta respond. I just…it slipped out. Wasn’t gonna tell you for a while, but that is how I feel.”

“Jesse, I…”

“Hanzo, I do, honestly, love you.”

“I have to go.”


	14. Granada, Spain

Hadn’t Hanzo just reprimanded Jesse for being a coward? And now, look at him. The once proud heir of the Shimada clan, reduced to a childish coward who was running away from his feelings. It wasn’t that Hanzo didn’t care for Jesse, it was actually the opposite. Hanzo was terrified by his feelings for the cowboy.

“Ah, brother!” Hanzo nearly collided with Genji.

“Genji, my apologies, but I am busy right now…”

“Winston wants us on a mission right now. A nearby city in Spain was just attacked and we need to react quickly.”

“I understand. Let’s go.” Hanzo knew that he should say something to McCree before leaving, but maybe this would give him the chance to think. 

Lucio, Winston, Tracer, D.Va, Hanzo, and Genji were flying off within a matter of moments. With McCree none the wiser. 

———————————————————————

Jesse ran down the hallways of the building, looking down each corner for Hanzo. The archer had bolted so fast that the cowboy had no idea which way he went. Heading towards their bedrooms, he glanced inside both. Nope, nothing. Running by the training room, he paused when he spotted Mercy.

“Hey Ang!”

“Hello Jesse, how are you today?”

“Good, got a question for ya. Have you seen Hanzo anywhere?”

Angela tilted her head to the side and pondered the question. Glancing down at her tablet, she tapped it a few times before glancing back up. “Ah, I see. Winston quickly assembled a team just a little bit ago to help him respond to an emergency in Granada, Spain. Since it is close to our base here in Gibraltar, he felt that they would be able to make it in time to be of assistance. Hanzo is listed as one of the agents assigned to the team.”

“Wait, they already left?”

“Yes, but I am sure that this mission will not be long. I would not be surprised to see them back tonight.”

McCree sighed. “Well, okay. Thanks for the help doc.”

“Are you alright?”

“Nah, got some thinking to do. Gotta figure out how to apologize for something I said.”

Angela chuckled. “You do have experience with those apologies. I am sure it will go fine. Now, I must be off, but please check in if you need anything.”

Angela walked off, her heels clicking against the stone. Once she rounded the corner, he slid to the ground, back resting against the wall. Leaning his arms atop his bent knees, he rested his head against the cool wall. 

“Now look whatcha did. Never thinking about what I say before I blurt it out. Ana would be laughing her head off at me right now if she was here. Or smacking me in the head for being stupid. Can’t believe he went on a mission before we could talk. Damn, mama didn’t raise no chicken, but she sure as hell got a fool.”

—————————————————————————

“Agent Hanzo, we’ll need you on the rooftops at air cover. We don’t know if there are any remaining Talon agents in the city, so we must proceed with caution,” Winston instructed. “Agents Tracer, Genji, and Lucio. You three will scout out the city. Agent D.Va and I will provide backup where needed, as we will attract too much attention if we tried to scout the city. All of you are to call for backup if there is any enemy fire, am I clear?” The group all nodded. “Good. Go!”

Hanzo followed his brother up a nearby building, making sure not to be spotted. Crouching on the rooftop, he watched Tracer and Lucio dash along the streets. Genji sat with him for a moment, before jumping to the next rooftops. Following him, Hanzo scanned the ground.

The streets had been evacuated before they had arrived, so the city was quiet. Hanzo continued to follow behind Genji as they headed toward the city center, the area that had reportedly been attacked.

“Definitely still some Talon agents here in the center,” Tracer reported over the coms.

“Understood, D.Va and I will head over there now. All of you hold back and wait for us to arrive. Once we group up, we can attack.”

“Roger that. You two on the roofs above us?” Tracer asked.

“We are two buildings away from your location. We will drop in next to you shortly,” Genji reported.

Scanning the area, Genji waved Hanzo over and pointed downwards. Nodding at his brother, the pair quickly descended. Lucio and Tracer were crouched in the small alley. Giving a wink to the brothers, Tracer peeked her head around the corner.

“They’re about a block down. Looked to be about nine of them, but that’s just what we saw,” she whispered.

The group waited in silence, until they heard the roar of boosters. Glancing up, Hanzo watched Hana and Winston land on the building above them. 

“Tracer and Genji, I want you to move to flank the enemies. D.Va and I will charge in. Lucio, follow, behind us. Hanzo we’ll need you to snipe from above. Okay, move out.”

Hanzo climbed the nearby building and began jumping to closer rooftops. Following the sounds of Hana’s mech, he could feel when he was close enough when the loud roar of her guns sounded.

Preparing his bow, he lined up a few headshots on the enemies already attacking her. Two enemies fell quickly and the others were quick with their work as well. Just when there were only three enemies remaining, Hanzo noticed movement further down. 

“More enemies approaching from the north,” Hanzo reported. His eyes widened when about twenty more enemies rounded the corner. “Be careful, there are over two dozen of them.”

Continuing to make precise shots, Hanzo watched a small group go after Genji. Lining up his bow, he used his scattering arrows to thin the crowd. 

“Hanzo, I’m gonna need help! My meka’s gonna blow!” Hana called out.

Turning to where she was, he quickly shot some of the enemies forming around her. He watched as her mech began to shake and as she jumped out of it. “Hana, get over to where I am now.”

She shot as she ran backwards, towards the building Hanzo was on. Noticing her retreat, more enemies began to chase her down. “Winston!” Hana called, but he was being crowded by his own mob. More and more agents seemed to be appearing, and they were quickly being overwhelmed.

Hanzo scaled down the wall and jumped to Hana’s side. Helping her shoot the remaining enemies after her, he swore as Genji began to be overwhelmed again. “We need backup.”

“There isn’t time. We need to evacuate now,” Winston responded. 

“There are too many enemies here, how will we make it out?” D.Va asked.

“Brother, I believe we should hold them off while the group evacuates,” Genji said.

Hanzo gripped his tattooed arm before nodding. “I understand. The rest of you, get out of here. Genji and I will handle this.”

Hana gripped his obi. “We can’t just abandon you!”

“We will be fine. Go get the airship and come pick us up with that.”

“Hanzo…”

“Hana, please. Go!” Hanzo pushed her away as he lined up his bow. The group ran as Genji came to stand beside his brother. 

“Ready?”

“I am.” Hanzo closed his eyes, calming himself for a moment. McCree’s smile flashed in his mind for a second before he yelled out.

“Ryū ga waga teki o kurau!”

“Ryūjin no ken o kurae!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> felt stupid for having to look up where Gibraltar was- shockingly by the Strait of Gibraltar. -_-  
> studied so much european history i should know the geography better by now


	15. Family

McCree didn’t even raise his head when Symmetra, Zarya, and Mei ran past. He tilted his head in confusion when Torb, Reinhardt, and Zenyatta went. He jumped to his feet to follow when Jack and Angela were running.

“Who was it?” McCree asked, dread filling his veins. The group ran to the aircraft landing zone, but no one would answer him.

“Jack! Tell me!” McCree shouted, just before they reached the doors.

“It was Hanzo.”

The world stopped for a moment. McCree didn’t keep running. He froze. Right in the doorway. He felt someone push him to the side. He saw the stretcher, carried by Reinhardt and Zarya. He saw so many of his teammates run past him. He felt someone shaking him.

“McCree! McCree!” Whose voice was that? It sounded so far away. He felt the slap against his face, but it was another few minutes before he could force himself to look down.

Lucio was staring up at him. Behind him, Mei was holding D.Va, who was shaking. 

“What happened?” Jesse whispered.

Lucio stared at the ground. D.Va shook harder. “Please, I have to know. Is Hanzo alive?”

Lucio nodded. “He is.”

“But barely…” D.Va whimpered. “I didn’t see the sniper!”

Lucio patted her shoulder. “Hanzo and Genji cleared the enemies out while we ran to get to the aircraft. They were stalling so we could retreat. But… When we got back to them, Genji was passed out and Hanzo was exhausted. We got out to help them onto the ship. Winston carried Genji, who I was trying to wake up. Lena was piloting. Hana was helping Hanzo move, since he seemed like he was gonna fall over, but then he… He shouted something and pushed her out of the way. Shot went right through his chest.”

D.Va sobbed. “I would’ve died if he hadn’t pushed me! I should’ve had my meka out…”

“You didn’t know about the sniper. It isn’t your fault,” Mei reassured her.

“I can’t lose him, Mei! He’s my family now!” D.Va cried into her shoulder. “I can’t lose him too!”

McCree reached his arm out. Pulling on D.Va’s shoulder, he pulled her into a hug. “It’s not your fault. You know he would’ve done anything to protect ya.”

“What are we gonna do?” she asked quietly.

“We’re gonna pray that Mercy has another miracle in her.”

“I know this is hard on you right now, but what are we gonna tell Genji?” Lucio asked.

“Where is he?” McCree hadn’t noticed a second stretcher or anyone come in with the ninja.

“Still on the ship. We thought we’d let him rest, since he didn’t wake up on the trip back. Zenyatta stayed with him.”

“You go figure that out, I… I need to see Hanzo,” McCree replied.

“Can I come with you?” D.Va asked.

Patting her shoulder, he nodded. “Of course! First person he’ll probably want to see when he wakes up is you.”

D.Va gave him a weak smile. “No, I think you’re number one.”

As they walked to the hospital bay, the feeling of dread increased. Did he actually want to see Hanzo? All bloodied and close to death. McCree’s nightmares weren’t likely to get better anytime soon.

“Ummm, McCree?”

“Yeah?”

“Hanzo… he…I know he can be kinda grumpy, but he really likes you.”

“Thanks.”

“Before he passed out… He told me to tell you he was sorry,” D.Va murmured.

McCree’s voice got caught in his throat. Taking a deep breath, he looked down at her. “For what?”

D.Va shook her head. “Don’t know… the rest he said so quietly and everyone was yelling to get him on the ship. He wasn’t awake when we started moving.”

“He’s gonna be okay. Man’s more stubborn than me and stubborn fools like us don’t die.”

“I can’t go in… Can you just tell someone to come get me when he wakes up? I don’t think I can see that right now.” 

“Do you want me to send someone out to sit with you?”

“No… I’m not a little kid, I can handle myself.”

McCree sighed. “It’s nothing to do with you being a kid or an adult. When someone you love gets hurt, you’re gonna hurt. Besides, you are young enough to be my kid,” McCree tried to joke, but the words came out too sad sounding.

D.Va gave him a sad smile. “You’re more like a crazy uncle. Much rather have Hanzo or 76 as my dad.”

McCree snorted. “Why Jack?”

“Cause he acts like one anyways. Have you heard his jokes?”

McCree patted her head, as she lowered herself to the bench. The med bay doors were closed, but the lights shone brightly and voices could be heard from within. “I’ll send Jack out to sit with you, okay?”

“Thank-you…” D.Va responded quietly. She pulled her knees to her chest and hid her face.

Bracing himself, McCree stepped into the room. Angela was working hard at a table, but her body was blocking McCree from really seeing anything. Symmetra appeared to be running some sort of scans, as she was shining a blue beam back and forth. Jack and Reinhardt were leaned against the wall, ready to assist with anything. 

Jack heard his footsteps and moved to block his view. “I don’t think you should see this.”

“I gotta. Couldn’t live with myself if I wasn’t here for him.”

“Fine.”

“Can you go out and sit with D.Va? She’s in the waiting area.”

Jack tilted his head to the side. The dumb visor blocked any way of McCree knowing what he was thinking. “I don’t know if I’m the best for that job.”

“She doesn’t need someone to talk to. Just, someone to be there. You did it plenty when I was a kid.”

“And look at you, still a punk.”

“Thanks.” 

Jack walked out of the room briskly as McCree approached the table. Angela glanced up for a second and frowned.

“He’s alive, but… I’m going to have to begin performing surgery immediately.”

“Surgery?”

“The bullet is implanted in his chest. It seems to have been coated with a poisonous substance, so it needs to be extracted immediately.”

Angela moved across the room and began to gather up supplies on a cart. “Reinhardt, can you go get Lucio for me? I will need his help for this.”

“Understood!” The warrior strode out quickly as McCree continued to stand awkwardly in the space.

“Jesse, I am going to need you to go in the waiting room. I can’t have you standing in the way during the surgery.”

“Got it doc,” McCree replied, but he didn’t move. Hanzo’s face was… Peaceful looking? He didn’t even appear to be in any pain, but the blood soaked wrappings on his chest revealed the truth. His hair wasn’t tied back like normal, instead it was blood splattered and matted. Yet, his face was so serene.

Symmetra placed a hand on his arm. “McCree?”

“I got it. Yeah… Just… Ang?”

“Yes, Jesse?”

“Please save him.”

“I’ll do my best.”


	16. Okay?

McCree sat with D.Va in the waiting room for hours. Genji would walk in every ten minutes and immediately walk out when he saw the still sitting there. Zenyatta would drift in after him most times, ask for any new information and follow him out. 

Mei brought the pair some food and drinks after two hours. After four hours, D.Va fell asleep, likely tired from the mission and the emotional roller coaster she had been on. McCree, however, refused to let his eyes drift shut. He wasn’t going to sleep until the surgery was over and Hanzo was stable.

After six hours, McCree became impatient. His foot tapped incessantly against the hard floor, shaking his whole body. If the noise botherer D.Va, she didn’t say anything. The pair had stopped talking hours ago. Both too tired and too worried to be lighthearted.

After seven hours, Lucio walked out of the operating room. 

McCree jumped to his feet, ignoring the ache of moving after so long. “Is he okay?” D.Va stood up next to him.

Lucio nodded. “Bullet is out. Poison has all been extracted. His blood is clean. Just isn’t awake. Mercy thinks he’s gonna be out for a while cause the poison wore down his body so much. So, he’s better, just not awake yet.”

D.Va breathed a sigh of relief. “He’s gonna be okay?”

“Yep! Just needs to chill for a while. Won’t know how long he’ll need to lay low until he’s up, but he’s definitely gonna be fine.”

“Thank-you,” McCree patted Lucio’s shoulder.

“No problem! You should mostly be thanking Mercy, she did the major stuff.”

“You still helped. Thanks Lucio.” D.Va gave the man a hug and he laughed.

“Mercy told me it was okay to send you two in. I’m gonna clean up and go tell Genji the news.”

The pair quickly rushed into the room now that they had the okay. Mercy was standing at the sink washing her hands.

“Ah, I take it that Lucio told you the good news?” she asked.

“Thanks Ang.” McCree pulled the doctor into a quick hug. She gave him a tired smile when he pulled back.

“Thank-you!” D.Va jumped at her and hugged her hard. 

“I’m just doing my job!” Mercy patted D.Va’s back.

McCree turned to look at the operating table. A large wrapping covered the spot where the gunshot had been. The blood had all been washed away from Hanzo’s body and hair, leaving him looking more like himself. He was still wearing his pants, but his gi and obi were carefully folded on the table next to him. His yellow ribbon which normally held back his hair, was placed gently atop the pile.

“Jesse. Jesse!” Mercy shook his arm.

“Hmmm, sorry? What was that?”

Mercy chuckled. “I said that we are going to move him from the operating room to a recovery room.”

McCree frowned. “Can’t just keep him in his bedroom?”

“No, he needs to be hooked up to my machines. I need to be able to monitor his heart rate, change his bandages, and supply him with nutrition while he is asleep. I am unsure of when he will be able to stay awake for extended periods of time, so I’ll also have my staff be able to constantly care for him.”

“Think he’d be more comfortable in his quarters. And I could look after him,” McCree muttered.

Mercy sighed. “You are not a trained medical professional and any hired staff I bring in are only allowed to stay in the medical bay due to security concerns. This isn’t new, Jesse.”

“I just… Don’t like seeing him stuck in a hospital bed.”

“He’ll get better fast this way. We gotta trust Mercy,” D.Va chimed in.

“Well, I am going to go prepare the room for him and make the calls to bring in some staff members. Make sure no one touches anything while I’m out.”

“You got it doc.”

D.Va was beaming. “He’s gonna be okay!”

McCree wanted to celebrate with her, but his heart still felt like a rock. He thought he’d gone through all this before. Hell, Ana and Gabe were dead. Losing them had been losing his mentors. Losing Hanzo would have meant… McCree didn’t want to consider what losing Hanzo would have done to him.

—————————————————————————

Hanzo’s recovery room was nice. The large window that faced the ocean gave McCree something to watch while the archer slept. Although he had originally agreed to take shifts with Genji and D.Va, he refused to leave when either walked in. Seeing the wrecked state the cowboy was in, neither did anything to argue. 

McCree had a chair pulled as close at possible to the left side of Hanzo’s bed. All the medical equipment on the right side made him feel uneasy, so he settled on either staring out the window or at Hanzo. Neither seemed to really calm him.

Resting his head on the mattress, he gazed at Hanzo’s tattoo. So many intricate details to be examined. With the lightest touch, McCree trailed his right pointer finger along the lines. He had seen Genji use his dragon’s power before, but he had never seen Hanzo do so. Using the dragons was exhausting and Genji had explained that their use had been the reason for the pair’s exhaustion at the end of the mission. 

McCree wondered for a moment why they had even bothered using them, but he knew the answer. They had been protecting the others. Giving the rest of the team time to evacuate. He would have done the same, but he couldn’t help feeling upset at Hanzo for doing so. Did he even consider what would happen if he died? McCree frowned. Would Hanzo be suffering this much if Jesse had been injured? Did Hanzo even want Jesse to be the one he saw when he woke up?

Pressing a gentle kiss atop Hanzo’s left hand, he laughed when he saw the tears fall onto the man’s arm. “Thought I stopped being able to cry a long time ago, but you really got to me, darlin’.”

Running another finger across the tattoo, he couldn’t stop himself from whispering. “Hey, if you really are mythical dragons, could you do a cowboy a favor? Tell him I still love him, no matter what his answer ends up being. Tell him… I really want him to wake up.”


	17. Ana Amari

“Ana is alive,” Jack said.

McCree glanced up from his book, confusion marking his face. “What? First you, then Gabe, and now Ana? Doesn’t anyone stay dead around here?”

“I ran into her in Giza. She saved me in a fight against Reaper. She said she wouldn’t rejoin, but I think we can convince her. Said she would watch out for me, which makes me think she will.”

“Not just gonna send in Fareeha?”

76 shook his head. “She would rather not be on this mission. Plus, there have been reports of Talon agents lurking around that area. I think that we should assemble a team and head over there.”

“Who’d be on the team?”

“Myself, Mercy, Reinhardt, Torbjörn, Tracer, and you.”

“I’m not going.”

“You can’t just sit around forever. He’s been out for over a month now. Listen, Winston’s been nice and not assigned you any missions, but you gotta start pulling your weight around here. Talon isn’t sitting around while your boyfriend is out cold.”

Frowning up at the soldier, McCree shook his head. “Not going.”

“Look, I already told Winston not to assign Genji or D.Va anything while we’re gone. He’ll have someone watching him.”

“You want me to just leave cause we think Ana’s alive? Some hunch is gonna send me on a chase for a dead lady?”

“You know how valuable it would be to Overwatch to have her back. Plus, I think that she could help Hanzo.”

“How?”

“Mercy said the poison was something she didn’t have experience with. It hasn’t been harming him, but it’s left him sleeping for all this time. Ana’s more equipped to dealing with this problem. Her expertise with her own sleep dart formula might be helpful.”

76 put a hand on McCree’s shoulder. “You can either sit around or help us find the only person who could help him.”

“When’s the airship leaving?”

“In one hour.”

“Fine. I’ll meet ya over there. Just… give me a second.”

76 walked out of the room and McCree rose out of his chair. The first few days had been rough, but the last few weeks had been harder. McCree spent the entirety of the day cooped up in the space. He had tried sleeping in his own bedroom, but nightmares had ruined that idea. Now, he would randomly fall asleep while sitting in his chair. He would wake up screaming sometimes, but he couldn’t do much to control that.

Leaning down, McCree brushed his hand through Hanzo’s hair. “I’m sorry, darlin’. I know I promised to stay here ’til you were up, but if she can wake you up, I think it’s worth going. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Don’t go waking up without… Actually, never mind. If you woke up while I was gone, that’d also be alright with me. I’ll be back soon.”

McCree lifted Hanzo’s left hand to kiss the top of it. Anything more seemed inappropriate without knowing Hanzo’s feelings. Running a finger against the dragons, he sighed. “Watch him for me.”

—————————————————————————

“Ana! Hey, Ana slow down!” The group had split up once they discovered a group of Talon agents dead and piled up outside the city. Their old comrade had been busy and the city seemed safe enough for them to search individually. McCree had spotted the flash of blue, just as he turned down an alleyway. Now, he was in pursuit.

“Ana! It’s Jesse McCree! Just wanna talk to ya for a second!” Had she always been this fast? McCree shouldn’t have this much trouble keeping up with an elderly woman. The month of sitting around had definitely impacted his fitness. 

Just as he turned down another corner, the cloaked figure paused. The slim person’s face was covered by a mask and she held a sniper rifle in her hand. 

“Ana?” McCree approached slowly.

The figure removed the mask. Her face was barely recognizable to Jesse. An eyepatch over her right eye and grey hair was poking out from underneath her hood. The tattoo under her left eye, however, was unmistakable. “Jesse, why are you yelling and following me? Are you trying to attract attention? And what is with that ridiculous get up? You are a grown man and yet you…”

“I know, I know. But I really need your help.”

Ana frowned. “I’m not planning on rejoining Overwatch.”

McCree shook his head. “I don’t care so much about that. Jack’ll be the one to try that on ya. What I need is medical help.”

“Medical? You seem fine. A bit slower than I remembered, but you don’t seem ill. I would recommend more sleep, but that’s always been my recommendation for you.”

“Not for me. For my… One of… For Hanzo. He’s a member of Overwatch and he’s been in a coma for a little over a month now. Ang thinks the poison he was shot with is what’s keeping him under, but she’s not trained in that stuff. Not like you.”

The woman crossed her arms and sighed. “I feel this may be my fault.”

“What?”

“A little over two months ago, I was almost captured by Talon agents while I was sleeping in my safe house. I managed to escape with most of my gear, except for a few vials of my sleep formula. When I went back to retrieve them, they were gone. I believe Talon may have stolen them and it is possible that they chemically altered them to be more powerful.”

“Damn it. Do you know how to wake him up?”

“I have a cure for my own formula, but I have no way of knowing what their serum contains.”

“Please, Ana. You don’t gotta join Overwatch. It was hard for me to accept the recall myself, but please help him. I… I need him to wake up.”

Ana studied McCree’s face. “You care for him so much that you would say you don’t care if I rejoin?”

“His life is more important than that right now. To me, at least.”

“You are in love with this man?”

“I am.”

Ana sighed. “You children always falling in love on the battlefield. When will you ever learn?”

“So, you’ll help him?”

“Yes, yes. But you better tell them that I’m not joining their war. I’m too old to listen to them all jabber incessantly at me.”

“Thank-you kindly, ma’am.” McCree tipped his hat at her.

She chuckled at the gesture. “You always were a charmer.”


	18. The Gunslinger's Archer

Ana had administered the serum thirty minutes ago. She told McCree it would take a while, since it needed to circulate through his blood, but that didn’t help him impatience. He sat tapping his foot, while Genji was leaned against the door and Hana sat at the foot of the bed. Ana had left, only because she felt the need to talk to her daughter, but Mercy was right outside in case anything happened.

McCree was staring intently at Hanzo’s face, waiting for something. Anything.

Suddenly, Hanzo’s arm started to feel exceptionally hot under McCree’s hands. Glancing down, the tattooed dragons seemed to be glowing slightly.

“Um, Genji?”

“Yes, McCree?”

“What’s going on with Hanzo’s dragons?”

The ninja rushed over to see what McCree was talking about. He gasped. “Let go of his arm.”

McCree released the arm quickly, but the dragons continued to glow. If anything, they seemed to be getting brighter.

“I do not think we should stay in here. It is possible that Hanzo might release the dragons.”

“What? But he’s sleeping?”

“It doesn’t matter. I think that we should…”

Hanzo suddenly gasped and his eyes opened. He was instantly sitting upright. The dragons continued to glow bright.

“Brother!”

“Hanzo!”

McCree frowned. Hanzo’s breathing was too fast, like he was hyperventilating. McCree gazed into Hanzo’s now open eyes, which also seemed to be glowing. “Darlin’. Darlin’. Hanzo, you need to calm down. You need to breathe,” McCree murmured to him.

Moving his hand to rest atop Hanzo’s, McCree softly moved his thumb in circular motions. “Shhhh. It’s okay. It’s just us. Genji’s here. Hana’s here. It’s me, Jesse. You’re safe. Everything’s okay.”

As Hanzo stared at Jesse, confusion suddenly marked his features. “Breathe. It’s okay. Nothing’s gonna hurt ya.”

The glow disappeared. Hanzo blinked a few times before falling backwards. McCree managed to grab him just in time before he landed too hard. Gently resting him against the pillows, Hanzo’s eyes were unfocused, but open. “Je… Jesse?” he whispered.

“Right here.”

“Is everyone okay?” 

“Yeah, you saved everyone,” McCree said, as he motioned Hana and Genji to come closer. “See, look. These two are without a scratch.”

Hanzo’s eyes drifted to them and a small smile graced his face. “Good… That’s… good… Why am I… so tired?”

“You’ve been out for a long time darlin’. More than a month.”

“What? No… the mission… we were just… the sniper…”

“Brother, the sniper shot you with a poison. It kept you unable to awaken for all this time.”

“We were so worried about you! We didn’t know when you would wake up!” Hana said.

“I’m… sorry… I did not…” Hanzo’s voice was getting quieter with each word.

“It’s okay to take it easy. You’re body ain’t used to talking and being awake after so long. Just take it slow.”

Hanzo’s eyes drifted back to McCree. “You… I…”

McCree suddenly felt awkward. Right. The last thing he’d said to Hanzo was that he loved him and then the archer ran off and almost died. “Hanzo, don’t you worry about anything right now. We’ll have plenty of time to talk once you’re all better.”

“I remember… I could hear you…”

“What?”

“When I was… when I was asleep… I heard you… I heard all of you…”

“Hanzo, we’re gonna have Ang come in and check on you. We’ll be right here, but don’t keep pushing yourself too hard. You just got up, don’t need to say everything you gotta say.”

Why was McCree so desperate to get Hanzo to shut up? Such a coward.

“Brother… Hana and I will give you two some time alone. I believe you need to speak.”

A small upturn of his lips was the only response from Hanzo the pair got as they left. McCree sat awkwardly in his chair, shocked that the two had abandoned him.

“Ummm, you don’t gotta do this right now…” McCree scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. 

“You never left… You were always… always here…”

“Yeah, couldn’t just leave ya here with no one. What if you woke up? Had to have someone to greet you.”

“Even after I… I… ran away.” Hanzo frowned at the cowboy.

McCree chuckled. “Well, I’m not gonna lie. That did hurt, but that didn’t magically make me stop caring about ya. Actually just made me more determined to wake you up.”

“I am sorry…”

McCree froze. The smile disappeared from his face as he gazed at the frowning archer. Was this it? The rejection he had been anticipating? “It’s okay. I know I said it too soon and we weren’t even really that far along in our relationship and I get annoying and talk a lot, so it’s perfectly understandable and I don’t blame you and…”

Hanzo curled his fingers around McCree’s wrist. “No… I am sorry I ran away. I am not… I mean..” Hanzo’s face reddened and he closed his eyes. “I love you, Jesse,” Hanzo said, the clearest words to come from him since waking up.

“You…” McCree couldn’t believe it. After over a month of waiting for this answer. Hanzo actually felt the same way?

“You’re not just saying that to please me, right? Or because you feel like ya have to since I sat there? Or since you ran away? I don’t want you saying it just cause you’re feeling guilty or…”

“Jesse, silence.”

McCree took a shallow breath. “You actually mean it?”

“Yes. Now, I want you to actually kiss me for once, instead of kissing my hand or my dragons. They are slightly annoyed at you.” Hanzo smiled.

McCree stared down at the tattoo and groaned. “You never told me they could feel me touchin’ them!”

Hanzo chuckled. “Usually they exist within my subconscious and are not aware, but because of my rest, they were more alert.”

“Damn…”

“Jesse.”

“Yes, darlin’?” McCree asked, still red from embarrassment.

“I asked you to kiss me. I am not physically well enough to pull you down myself.”

“Well, I’m happy to oblige,” McCree said and he leaned down for his archer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the halloween update makes me want to write so many mchanzo fics! So little time!


	19. Dummy!

Thanks to the work of the four amazing healers on the team, Hanzo wasn’t bedridden for nearly as long as he should’ve been. McCree had informed him that Ana Amari was the one to wake him and that she was currently undecided on joining the team, but hadn't left the base yet. He was hesitant to ask Dr. Ziegler what was the secret behind her healing staff, due to everyone else just seeming to go along with it. While he slept, Lucio had left a radio to play some healing music and Zenyatta would frequently meditate nearby. The omnic didn’t need sleep, so Hanzo didn’t feel too guilty about his help.

Symmetra had added something to his boots that seemed to aid in his walking, but the added fluidity didn’t translate to his arms. Hanzo would have to work tirelessly to get himself into good enough shape to go on another mission.

He had taken to doing workouts in the morning with Zarya, 76, and Reinhardt. The three didn’t go easy on him, which he appreciated. Hanzo tried to drag McCree to the early workouts, but once he learned who went, the cowboy had shuddered and quickly refused. Saying something about not going through the drills again.

Spending his time in the shooting range, Hanzo lined up a shot. And missed. He lined up again, hitting it this time, but still disappointed in himself. He restarted the simulation for the tenth time.

“You know, darlin’, you really outta be taking some time off.”

“I have already taken enough time off. I refuse to sit around here and be useless.”

“Honey, you are definitely not useless.”

Hanzo sighed, as he continued shooting. McCree pushed himself off of the wall and rested his hands on the archer’s hips.

“You know, I’m feeling mighty tired. Wouldn’t mind taking a little rest. Care to join me?” McCree whispered into Hanzo’s ear, grinning when he blushed.

“I am training right now. You can go sleep on your own.”

“Ah, but you know I sleep much better with you curled up against me.”

“McCree, I need to continue training. I can not fail again.”

McCree’s hands tightened on Hanzo. “What?”

“I should never have been shot by that sniper. I clearly need to train harder, since I failed.”

“Hanzo, you didn’t fail. You saved D.Va from being shot. You were exhausted from using your dragons. No one is blaming you, sweetheart.”

Hanzo turned to face McCree. “My endurance is clearly lacking if I can not continue to fight after using my dragons. If that sniper had arrived sooner, they could have easily killed Genji. Genji could have died due to my lack of stamina.”

Hanzo started to turn away, but McCree held him in place. Hanzo blinked in surprise at the angry expression on the other’s face. “Genji could have died? Hell, Hanzo, you could have died! Have you even fucking thought about that? Why don’t you care about your life at all?” McCree shouted. 

Hanzo smiled sadly. “If I can give my life to save Genji’s, it will be worth it.”

McCree couldn’t control himself. He pushed Hanzo to the ground. Caught off guard, Hanzo fell ungracefully and without being able to catch himself. “What the hell is wrong with you?” McCree asked, still shouting.

Before he could respond to the cowboy, McCree turned and ran off. Hanzo groaned as he sat up. 

“Everything okay?”

Glancing up, Hanzo smiled sadly as Hana walked into the room slowly. She scanned the room, before moving to sit by the archer. 

“I heard him yelling and didn’t want to get in the middle of whatever that was.”

Hanzo patted her shoulder. “I am fine. I think I may have said something to offend Jesse, but he will be alright. He just needs to calm himself down.”

“What’d you say to make him so mad? He’s been like, super grossly lovey-dovey with you since you woke up.”

Hanzo sighed. “I merely told him that I need to train harder so that similar incidents do not occur in the future. He seemed mad that I value Genji’s life over my own.”

Hana frowned. “Well, of course he’s mad! You’re smart, but you can also be such a dummy sometimes.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s totally in love with you! He wants you to be safe, so it probably hurts him to think you aren’t gonna take care of yourself.”

Hanzo sighed. “I do not plan on getting myself killed. However, I value the lives of the people around me more than myself, is that wrong?”

Hana pulled her knees into her chest and shook her head. “No… If you didn’t act like that, I might’ve died.”

“See? I need to train in order to keep you, Genji, and Jesse safe. Not just you three either. I have grown to care about this group, so I will do whatever I can to protect the people here.”

Hana leaned her head against Hanzo’s shoulder. “I remember the first day, you didn’t want to hang out with everyone. You just wanted quiet and didn’t have any plans on making friends. Now, we’re all family.”

Hanzo wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Yes. And I will keep training to protect this family.”

Hana shook her head. “No! You gotta rely on us to help you too! You don’t have to do everything alone, we’re able to help too.”

“I do not want you to get hurt.”

“And we don’t want you to get hurt. You said you could hear us when you were asleep, right?”

“Yes. I may have missed some things, but I do think I heard most of the sounds around me.”

“Well, you could hear cowboy, but you didn’t see him. He was… He was a different person when you were out. Wouldn’t whistle or make cheesy jokes. Barely ate anything. Barely slept. A lot of us would find him passed out somewhere or screaming himself awake from nightmares. You being hurt really scared him.”

“Which is why I must train harder…”

Hana stood up and frowned down at him. ‘No! Dummy! I just explained why you should go say sorry to him! You being hurt and then not seeming to care about getting hurt again is horrible! Go apologize right now!” She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes into a glare.

“Fine, fine. If this is what will please you, I will go do it.” Hanzo pushed off the ground, but struggled slightly to get up. Still sore from the overtraining, he felt relief when Hana pulled him the rest of the way up.

“Geez you’re getting old!” Hana teased.

Hanzo ruffled her hair. “You are merely too young.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. I will go find Jesse.”

“You’re welcome,” Hana said as she exited the room.

Hanzo chuckled. Turning off the simulation and putting away his bow, he exited into the hallway. Now, where would his cowboy have run off to?


	20. Hell of a Tease

Hanzo checked everywhere, but couldn’t find McCree. He had asked a few people, but they all had no clue where he was. Exhausted, he realized it was getting pretty late. He might as well go to their bedroom and wait for McCree there.

Opening the door, Hanzo was surprised to see McCree sitting on the edge of their bed. Well, technically it was Hanzo’s bed, but since waking up from his coma, the cowboy had unofficially moved in. 

The cowboy had taken off his hat, boots, belt, and serape. A few extra buttons were undone and he was staring at the floor.

“Jesse? Are you alright?” Hanzo asked quietly, as the gunslinger hadn’t yet looked up at him.

“No.”

Hanzo moved slowly to sit next to McCree on the bed. Sitting close enough that their shoulders brushed, Hanzo sighed. “I am sorry.”

McCree’s head snapped up and he stared in confusion at the archer. “What? You mean you ain’t mad at me?”

“Why would I be mad at you?”

“I yelled my head off at you and pushed you to the ground. You just got out of the med bay not too long ago and then I went and shoved ya.”

“Jesse, I am not so delicate that a mere fall will harm me.”

McCree stared down at his hands. “Still… I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

Hanzo wove his left hand into McCree’s right. Resting his head against McCree’s shoulder, he closed his eyes. “You should not apologize. I made you angry and did not even realize until you got upset. I do not want you to feel bad for expressing how you feel.”

“I just… To hear you talk like you don’t care if you’re dead or alive… It hurt.”

“I am sorry.”

“Watching you push yourself so hard in training, so ready to get back out there… To be honest, it scares me.”

“What do you want from me? I can not avoid missions forever. Sooner or later, I am going to have to go back out there. Would it not be better for me to be well trained?”

“Yeah, I guess I just didn’t wanna believe you’d ever have to go back out again.”

“We will keep each other safe.”

McCree smiled and lifted Hanzo’s hand up to his face. Giving it a soft peck, he chuckled as the archer flushed. “For as long as I live.”

“Is that some sort of proposal?” Hanzo remarked. He meant to sound sarcastic, but the sudden redness on McCree’s face was unexpected. “Jesse?”

“Well, I mean… It isn’t like I haven’t thought about it, but ya know… I only got your reply about loving me back about a month ago… So, I haven’t really got anything prepared for ya…”

“Jesse, stop. I was merely teasing you.” Hanzo stared at the cowboy’s face and noticed the split second look of disappointment before he smiled.

“Of course ya were. You’re always such a tease, darlin’.”

“Always?” Hanzo smirked.

McCree swallowed. “Yes?”

Hanzo shifted his weight so he was straddling the other man. McCree’s face flushed a deep shade of red and he whistled lightly. “I though you liked it when I teased you, gunslinger.”

Combing his fingers through McCree’s hair, Hanzo leaned down to place a light kiss under his right ear. 

McCree shivered. “Fuck, Hanzo, we didn’t have that much of a fight. You don’t gotta feel like ya gotta make up for it.” Usually McCree was the one to initiate, so this made the cowboy more nervous than he expected.

“But I want to. And, like you said, I love teasing you,” Hanzo whispered in his ear. Nibbling a bit on his earlobe, Hanzo smiled at the moan from his cowboy.

“Well, I’m not one to stop someone from following their dreams.”

Hanzo scoffed, but chose to not reply. Instead, he began to lightly trail his teeth down Jesse’s neck, relishing in every little sound. Once at the base, he bit down, hard. Jesse jumped, but a deep guttural sound came from his throat when Hanzo began to suck on the bite.

“Hanzo…” McCree whined.

Glancing up at the cowboy, Hanzo frowned at the pouting man. “What?”

“I wanna kiss you.”

A soft upturn of his lips and Hanzo was kissing him. And pushing him?

“Wha?” McCree was suddenly on his back with his archer above him.

“As much as I enjoy teasing, I do like other things more.”

Placing both hands on Hanzo’s hips, McCree gripped tightly. “I don’t usually fall for rumors, but I do hear make-up sex is pretty great.”

Hanzo rolled his eyes and leaned forward to kiss McCree again. “If you continue your annoying talk, you will never be able to confirm that rumor. Understand, Jesse?”

“Clear as crystal, darlin’.”

Hanzo rolled his hips and laughed as McCree moaned loudly. “Good, because I do not believe you could afford not to.”

Groaning, McCree reached up to pull Hanzo back down for another kiss. “Are you some kinda demon sent to torture me?”

Hanzo smiled, baring his teeth. “Torture? Do not pretend you do not like it.”

“That’s true. If this is hell, I’m sure fucking glad to be here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH! Can't believe I have done 20 chapters already! Thank-you to everyone who has been leaving kudos and nice comments. I've read them all and they motivate me to write even more. Hope you continue to enjoy me writing more for these two idiots.


	21. Permission

McCree blinked his eyes open, confused. Had he actually slept through an entire night? The light was streaming through the closed blinds, but he was sure that wasn’t what had awoken him. Stretching out, he heard the shower turn off. Must have been Hanzo’s absence that woke him.

Rubbing at his eyes, McCree pulled the blankets up closer and curled back in, still feeling tired. Last night had been more passionate than most other nights, McCree felt his face redden when he noticed the soreness of his lower body. Not that he minded too much, since letting Hanzo be in charge was always a pleasant occasion. Especially since the archer took such good care of him, even cleaned him up and pulled his boxers on him when he passed out. 

The door to the bathroom opened and Hanzo stepped out. He was wearing only a towel, wrapped tightly around his waist. Using a smaller towel to rub at his wet hair, he smiled at McCree.

“Did I wake you?” 

“It’s fine, but I think I wanna stay in bed a little longer. Mind cuddling with me, honey?” 

Hanzo chuckled and turned to the dresser. Pulling out a pair of shorts, he dropped his towel to the floor. McCree was positive that he was bending down slowly on purpose. By the time Hanzo had his shorts on, McCree was feeling short of breath.

“Sweetheart, I am far too sore from last night for you to be doing that to me.”

Hanzo walking over to the bed and lifted the sheets to get in. Curling his body against McCree’s, he placed a kiss on his jawline. “Then I should let you sleep some more.”

“That would be lovely darlin’. Just talk in your soothing voice and I’ll probably fall right asleep,” McCree murmured. Shutting his eyes, he focused on Hanzo’s breathing.

“What would you like me to talk about?”

“Tell me about… What’s home like for ya, darlin’?”

Hanzo sighed wistfully. “My village, Hanamura. It sits atop a hill. In the spring, the cherry blossom trees bloom. I miss it dearly.”

McCree tightened his right arm around him. “You’ll have to show it to me someday. I’d love to see.”

“I do not know if I can ever return.”

“We’ll go. Even if it’s the last thing we do. I wanna see Hanamura in the spring with ya.”

“The wind blows the petals off of the trees. The village almost appears to be snowing pink flowers. It is peaceful, to sit outside. To enjoy a meal. To watch as the petals float past and merely appreciate their beauty.”

McCree yawned. “Sounds lovely…”

“Getting tired, gunslinger?” Hanzo purred.

McCree chuckled softly. The remark was one he often heard in training and on missions. “Not a…” McCree yawned again. “…chance.”

Hanzo chuckled. Shifting so he could rest against the headboard, Hanzo repositioned McCree to be resting on top of him. Hanzo began to comb his fingers gently through his cowboy’s hair. 

“Keep talking about whatever you like…” McCree said, snuggling against Hanzo’s waist. 

“Your hair is soft… I wonder, sometimes, what it would have been like if I had never left Hanamura. I would be continuing to lead the clan. I would have never met you.”

“I think I would’ve found you, no matter what.”

“Do not tell me you are foolish enough to believe in soulmates.”

McCree kissed the skin closest to him. Without looking, it was likely one of Hanzo’s abs. “Fools are known to rush in and fall in love. And that would definitely describe how I fell for you.”

Trailing his hands down McCree’s neck, Hanzo began to rub gentle circles on his back. “When did you fall in love with me?”

“From the moment I saw you.”

Hanzo flicked the back of McCree’s head. “Be serious.”

“Hmmmm, let me think… I guess after you went on that mission that took so long. That week of waiting for you to get back.”

“That mission was almost immediately after we started dating.”

“I know. Honestly though, I was pining for ya for so long, we might as well have been dating for months.”

“What about my week long absence made you realize?”

“Couldn’t sleep. So many nightmares, each and every night. Like nothing I’d ever dealt with before. Made me realize how much it scared me to think of you not coming back. Actually kinda scared me how much you being gone affected me. Made me sit down and realize my feelings real quick.”

“My feelings… I do not know when I fell in love with you because I tried to repress my feelings for so long.”

“And why’d you do that?”

“Because that was how I was raised. I grew up believing that I would have an arranged marriage and to only worry about the future of the clan.”

“So, I’m guessing your folks didn’t know which way you swung?”

“They did not. My father would have likely disowned me if he had found out. An heir would outrank any romantic feelings of mine.”

“But you knew you were gonna be unhappy?”

“I knew I would have a wife and children. I thought that I could grow to care for my wife, but I knew that I would never love her.”

“Who was the first guy to catch your attention?”

Hanzo chuckled. “Why do you ask?”

“Just wonderin’.”

“I noticed when I was a teenager that I was far more attracted to our bodyguards than any of the women my father brought around.”

McCree laughed. “Any particular one catch your eye?”

Hanzo smiled down at him. “Just one. Brown hair. Scraggly beard. And he wore a ridiculously stupid costume.”

“Not scraggly. And not a costume.”

“You were my first relationship if that is what you are wondering.”

McCree opened his eyes and stared up at Hanzo, resting his chin on his torso. “You weren’t a blushing virgin when we first had sex.”

Hanzo groaned. “I said you were my first relationship, not my first sexual partner.”

“Well, I wanna know the fella’s name.”

“Move your chin first, your beard is scratching my skin.”

McCree moved to rest his right arm under his face. “Honey?”

Hanzo rolled his eyes. “I was on the run for ten years. Do you really think I spent my entire time sitting in a cave?”

“Would’ve preferred that.”

“And are you honestly going to tell me that you haven’t had sex with anyone else?” Hanzo raised an eyebrow at McCree.

“That’s different.”

“No it isn’t.”

“Fine. We don’t gotta name names.”

Hanzo pulled at McCree’s hand. Letting him take it, McCree rested his face against his shoulder. His prosthetic was off, so he had to make do if he wanted to continue to stare at Hanzo.

“Jesse Shimada,” Hanzo murmured while staring at McCree’s fingers, which Hanzo held close to his face. He seemed to be inspecting every aspect of his hand.

McCree’s face reddened. “I’m rather partial to my name. And that’s the wrong hand.”

Hanzo released his hand and smiled down at his cowboy. “I’d want it on your real hand. Your prosthetic gets damaged far too frequently for something so important.”

“Didn’t you say last night you were kidding around about that stuff?”

“I am, for now. But I have been thinking about it, since it came up last night.”

“Really?”

Hanzo nodded and combed his fingers through McCree’s hair. “I think it would be a good idea. In the future, of course.”

“Why wait?” McCree murmured, as he hid his face in Hanzo’s side.

“Because it is not up to only me.”

McCree peeked up at him. “I gotta ask Genji?”

“No.”

“D.Va?”

“No.”

“Your parents?”

“Of course not, especially because they are both dead.”

“Who in the hell do I gotta get to like me before I marry you?” McCree groaned.

“These two.” Hanzo lifted his left arm slightly.

McCree frowned in confusion for a second before pouting. “Your dragons don’t like me?”

Hanzo chuckled. “It is not so much that they do not like you. They are merely unsure of your potential as my mate.”

“Mate? Your dragons do know we’re two men, right? Not gonna be getting either of us knocked up.”

Hanzo lightly smacked the back of McCree’s head. “They do not care about that! They are waiting to see if you can prove yourself.”

“What do I gotta do?”

“I am… not yet sure. They seem to be waiting for something in particular.”

“What? You don’t even know what they want?”

Hanzo shrugged. “I do not believe we should rush anyways, so waiting for their approval seems fine.”

McCree glared at the tattooed arm. “Don’t know why I gotta get approval from two drawn-on lizards.”

“Jesse.”

“Fine. Dragons, I’m gonna prove to ya in no time that I’m perfect for your baby.”

“Jesse,” Hanzo repeated, sounding annoyed.

“I love you, darlin’.”

“Go back to sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I'd add a few nods to the new Halloween voice lines since they're so wonderful.


	22. Mission Objective: Retirement?

“I want to talk to you in private.”

Hanzo stared in confusion at the soldier, before following him into the meeting room. Hanzo was on friendly terms with Jack, but he was unsure of how many times they had actually talked with each other. Shutting the door behind him, 76 gestured at a chair.

“Go on.”

Hanzo sat, but his face was stern. What was he up to?

“You haven’t been on a mission in over 2 months.”

Hanzo nodded slowly. “Not without request. I have not been assigned to anything in the last month since Dr. Ziegler gave me permission to resume active participation.”

76 sighed. “And that’s when you should’ve started going on missions again. However, we’ve run into a snag in meetings.”

“What do you mean?”

“McCree flips out whenever we mention assigning you. He immediately volunteers and refuses to allow any further discussion.”

Hanzo groaned. “I will talk to him.”

“Good. You are clearly skilled and having you back out there will be helpful. Talon is getting worse.”

“In what ways?”

“They are attacking more frequently and at various locations across the globe. Also, they’ve been sending top operatives on most of their missions.”

“The sniper?”

“Widowmaker. And Reaper.”

“The former Overwatch agents.”

76 nodded. “Yeah, that’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. Has McCree talked to you about Reaper?”

“I know he was his mentor. That he meant a lot to him.”

“Exactly. That’s why we’re concerned about McCree going on all these missions.”

“You are worried they will run into each other?”

“Yes. McCree still carries a lot of guilt, so I’m not sure if he would be able to kill him. That moment of hesitation will kill him.”

“You sense no remorse in Reaper?”

“No. He was ready to kill both myself and Ana before. He’s not who he used to be.”

Hanzo stood. “I will talk to McCree. Thank-you for telling me all of this.”

76 waved his hand dismissively. “Go tell your boyfriend to stop being a pain in the ass.”

Hanzo walked out of the room and towards the kitchen. McCree was seated at the table with Mercy and Hana, all laughing at something.

McCree hopped out of his chair when Hanzo entered the room. “Hey, babe! Was wondering where you went.”

Hanzo grabbed McCree’s shoulder. “We need to talk. In the other room. Now,” Hanzo sternly replied.

McCree’s face blanched as he stammered out his response. “Um… You sure, sweetheart? I’m sure we can just talk about whatever’s bothering you…”

“Jesse McCree. Stop running your mouth and get in the other room. Now.”

“Darlin’, just tell me what’s bothering you.”

“Ooooooh, you’re in trouble!” Hana teased and Mercy chuckled.

“If you don’t get in the other room right now, you’re sleeping in your own room for the next month.”

McCree rushed out the door and Hanzo shook his head in amusement. “Of course that was what worked.”

“He’s like a puppy,” Hana commented. 

“I wish he would be trained better by now,” Hanzo responded as he walked into the next room.

McCree was sitting on the couch, trying to look innocent. “So, sweetheart, what seems to be bothering you?”

“Are you going to pretend that you do not know?” Hanzo crossed his arms and glared at the cowboy.

“Ummmmm… My snoring keeping you up?”

“Jesse, you do not snore.”

“My beard hair getting too long?”

“You have been refusing to allow me to be assigned missions for the last month.”

McCree froze. Staring at the archer, he frowned before hanging his head down in defeat. “Look… former members of Overwatch have meetings to determine teams for missions. I believe you are not ready to go on any missions yet.”

“And why is that?”

“You’re still injured.”

“I was given permission to resume missions a month ago.”

“Ang doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

“Jesse…”

McCree gazed back up at Hanzo. “I just… I don’t want you to get hurt like that again. Just trying to delay the inevitable.”

“There is no guarantee that I will be majorly injured in an upcoming mission.”

“Don’t lie to me. You know how many fucking injuries and deaths I’ve seen. I just don’t wanna watch another one.”

Hanzo moved to sit on the couch next to McCree. “I am needed.”

“I need you more.”

“You have me.” Hanzo placed his arm around McCree’s waist. Leaning his head against his shoulder, Hanzo could feel McCree’s shaking. 

“Not long enough. Every mission is another chance of having you ripped away. Just like everyone else.”

“Ana and Jack are alive.”

“And so is Gabe, but that man is not the one who found me. He might as well be dead.”

“You can not keep me from going on the next mission.”

“I know.”

“How long did you think I was just going to sit around?”

McCree shrugged, half-heartedly. “Was hoping your dragons would just suddenly approve of me. Then, we’d get married. Have a honeymoon. Maybe retire.”

“You were hoping for all of that to happen before I went on another mission?” Hanzo rolled his eyes at the wish.

“Yeah, I don’t know. I guess it just seemed like an okay plan.”

“Jesse, we are both still needed.”

“But wouldn’t that life be nice?”

Hanzo smiled softly and placed a kiss on Jesse’s temple. “Someday. When we are both too old to even hold out weapons any longer. That’s when we can retire.”

“Seems a long way aways.”

“It will be, but I will stay with you the entire time.”

McCree turned to smile at him. “That seems like a pretty good deal to me.”

“Just make sure that you also make it to our shared retirement. Stop trying to play the hero.”

“I’ll do my best, darlin’.”

“I suppose that is the most I can ever expect from you.”


	23. Route 66

“Hanzo, you and Pharah will be watching the skies. McCree, you’ll be doing flanking on the left, while Tracer will be flanking on the right. Ana, you’ll provide support from the rear. I’ll be charging forward. Any questions?” 76 glanced at each member of the group. Watching them all shake their heads, he nodded. “Good. Everyone, get in position.”

Jesse planted a kiss on Hanzo’s temple. Pharah laughed as Hanzo pushed the cowboy in the direction of his exit door. 

“Ready?” Pharah asked, as Athena began to count down.

“Of course.”

——————————————————————————

The Talon agents gathered on the dusty road were far tougher than those who Hanzo had faced before. Or perhaps, it was due to the sweltering heat. When Jesse had remarked that he would get sunburnt without any protection, he had scoffed at the cowboy. Now, however, he was silently thankful that McCree had wrapped his serape onto the archer before the briefing. It was stifling to wear, but it did keep his skin protected.

“Sniper on the left!” Tracer called into the coms.

“Widowmaker,” 76 snarled as he pushed against another enemy. “Keep your heads down!”

Hanzo watched as Pharah lowered herself behind cover. From his high point, he could see McCree and Tracer had collected off to the right of the road near Ana. 76 was further away from the group, so Hanzo focused his attacks on aiding the soldier. 

“Reaper is here,” Ana snarled. 

Scanning the area, Hanzo could not spot the black mist of a man anywhere. The ghostly figure was not near Ana. And neither was McCree.

“McCree, come in. McCree. Where is he?” Hanzo asked urgently.

“Went further down the road. I think he went after Reaper,” Tracer called out. “I’ll go provide backup…” Suddenly Ana and Tracer were surrounded by more agents. 

“I will provide backup. You stay with Ana,” Hanzo replied. 

Jumping down from his perch, Hanzo ran to where he believed McCree went. Shooting out a sonic arrow, he picked up on two figures beyond the large steel gate. “Dammit.”

As he ran up the side ridge, Hanzo froze at the top. McCree was on the ground, with Reaper standing above him, gun pointed. McCree’s lips were moving, but Hanzo could not determine if he was talking or merely cursing in pain.

Lining up a shot, Hanzo took a deep breath.

—————————————————————————

“Damn ingrate. I taught you everything you know. Did you honestly think you could take me on by yourself?” Reaper laughed as McCree applied pressure to the wound. How had he gotten behind him so quickly?

“Lucky for me I still have a few tricks of my own,” McCree growled, before rolling towards Reaper and tackling him to the ground. McCree swore he saw something fly past them, but he was too busy holding the other man down.

————————————————————————

“Damn,” Hanzo hissed as his arrow flew past the pair. McCree had to pick that exact moment to move Reaper. Hanzo lined up again, but there was little he could do with McCree so close. The two were wrestling each other and Hanzo couldn’t do anything from back there.

Ready to rush to them, he was suddenly grabbed from behind. Some backup for Reaper had apparently found him. Punching the agent in the face, Hanzo struggled out of the other enemies’ hold. As he fought against them, Hanzo couldn’t focus on McCree.

———————————————————————-

“Damn punk. I should’ve left you to rot in that cell. You’d have died a long time ago if I hadn’t saved your ass.”

“You should’ve stayed dead.” McCree punched Reaper in the gut. The other man coughed, but rolled them so he was pinning McCree.

“I’ll end you now.” Reaper got one of his hands free and grabbed for his gun.

“Oh no you don’t.” McCree pushed with all his might to force Reaper’s arms down onto the pavement.

“It doesn’t matter. My reinforcements will be here shortly and plus, it is almost time.”

“Almost time for what?”

“To kill you of course.” McCree winced as his shoulder that had been resting on Reaper suddenly landed hard on the road. Reaper’s body, no longer more than smoke, appeared standing over him. “Time to check another one off the list.”

————————————————————

Pushing the last enemy off of him, Hanzo stared in horror as Reaper stood above McCree, guns pointed down.

“Please, protect him,” Hanzo whispered, closing his eyes. “Ryū ga waga teki o kurau!”

Hanzo dropped to the ground as he watched his dragons burst out towards the pair. While he was exhausted, he kept his eyes open. Watching. Waiting.

He saw Reaper turn quickly. He saw the puff of smoke as the figure disappeared. He didn’t see Jesse.

“Please! Please, Jesse needs help! Reaper got aw…” Hanzo shouted into the coms, before he froze.

Black boots appeared in a cloud of smoke before him. “You thought you could use a cheap trick to kill me? I’ll kill you first and then kill that punk.”


	24. Forever

Reaper laughed as he gazed down at Hanzo. “Even wearing his dumb clothing. I wonder how much he’ll scream when he sees it soaked in your blood?”

Hanzo struggled to raise himself up. “I will kill you.”

“I’m already dead.”

Swiftly reaching to his side, Hanzo grabbed an arrow. Shooting his arm out, he plunged it into Reaper’s right leg.

With him distracted, Hanzo rolled to his side and reached for his bow. No arrows left and not another strength to use it, Hanzo could at least use it as a blunt weapon. He was rusty with a sword, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t strike down his foe.

“Not so fast,” Reaper roared, as he sank his claws into Hanzo’s shoulder. Hanzo spun quickly, smacking Reaper across the face with his bow.

Reaper fell to the ground, clutching at his mask. The strange mist from before began to seep through the newly formed crack. Readying himself to strike again, Hanzo heard footsteps from behind.

“McCree! Hanzo! Are you there?” 76 shouted.

Gazing at where the voice came from, Reaper slowly stood. 

“You gonna try to fight all of us? Doesn’t matter if you’re dead, we’ll end things permanently,”McCree said, his gun resting against the back of Reaper’s skull.

Hanzo breathed a sigh of relief at seeing him. Before Reaper could respond, the group appeared at the top of the cliff. Spotting them, the smoke around him intensified.

“You’re lucky this time, but don’t get cocky. Death will come for you all soon enough.”

The purple smoke swirled around him and Reaper vanished. 

Hanzo approached McCree slowly. “Are you alright? My dragon strike did not harm you, did it?”

McCree smiled and shook his head. “Felt like a cool breeze on this hot day. Would welcome it again next time we’re in Egypt.”

Resting his hand on McCree’s left arm, Hanzo smiled softy. “I am glad you are okay.”

Leaning down, McCree gave Hanzo a light peck on the lips. “Exactly what I was gonna say, darlin’.”

————————————————————

With the area cleared of Talon agents, the group boarded the airship in a pleasant mood. Tracer was the head pilot, with 76 seated as her co-pilot. Ana and Pharah moved to the back, both deciding to sleep first on the long ride home. McCree and Hanzo curled up together on the couch in the open middle area of the ship.

McCree fell asleep quickly, exhausted from the fight, while Hanzo was slower at drifting off. Curled against the cowboy, both under his serape, Hanzo’s eyes noticed something odd. Blinking a few times in confusion, he gazed at McCree’s right arm, which was rested atop the makeshift blanket. His glove was torn considerably, which was strange as McCree’s clothing hadn’t been so badly torn. Straightening himself up, Hanzo reached for McCree’s hand. Pulling it in front of him, Hanzo gently pulled the tattered fabric away from McCree’s hand. Shocked, Hanzo dropped McCree’s hand, which thumped down onto Hanzo’s torso.

“Hmmm,” McCree mumbled, pulling his arm back to rest across his stomach.

“Jesse! Jesse! Wake- up!” Hanzo shook the cowboy’s shoulders. 

“Mmmm, can’t it wait sweetheart?” McCree mumbled, not opening his eyes.

“No! Wake-up now!” 

McCree groaned, but blinked his eyes open. Squinting at Hanzo, he sighed. “Yes, darlin’? What’s wrong?”

“Your hand!”

“What about it?” McCree lifted his left arm to inspect his prosthetic. “Seems fine to me.”

“Not that one! Your right hand!”

“My right? What’s wrong with my…” Lifting his right hand to his face, McCree froze. 

McCree’s right ring finger had two blue bands of color glowing lightly from underneath his skin. Like tattoos, the glowing blue tails of dragons were imprinted on the skin. Opening up his palm, McCree revealed the bodies twisted across it, leading up into his sleeve. Pushing up his sleeve quickly, the dragons twisted around his arm.

“Did they?” Hanzo straddled McCree and began to unbutton his top.

The head of the dragons rested against McCree’s chest. Unlike Hanzo’s tattoo, however, the dragons curled together over where McCree’s heart was, almost perfectly forming the Shimada Clan symbol on him. Gently, Hanzo traced his finger over the end of the tattoo. McCree shivered at the touch, unsure what to do.

“Ummm, did I get drunk and lose a bet or something?”

Hanzo chuckled and shook his head. “When the dragons struck you. Instead of hurting you, they did this.”

Staring down at the blue markings, McCree frowned. “Why?”

“They have accepted you into the Shimada Clan. This is their way of marking you, saying that they will also protect you.”

McCree blinked in surprise. “Does that mean I can summon them as well?”

Hanzo laughed. “No. They can only be controlled by Shimada blood, but this is a way of showing that they will not harm you. They have acknowledged you.”

“Wait… That means…”

“Truthfully, have we not both been waiting for this? Hanzo asked, quietly. “Though, it appears that they asked you before I was able.” Hanzo trailed his fingers across the bands of blue on McCree’s hand.

“They approve of me?” McCree whispered, nervous.

“Yes.”

McCree’s face lit up. “And you approve of me?”

Hanzo chuckled. “Yes.”

“Genji and D.Va, definitely okay with me?”

“Yes.”

“Okay…” McCree lifted Hanzo off of him and got off the chair. Standing next to him, he rummaged around in his back pocket. “Better not have lost the darned thing… Where is… Ah! Got it.”

Sitting back down next to Hanzo, McCree held a silver band in front of the archer’s face. “Been holding onto this for a while, waiting on those dumb lizards.”

Staring at the band, Hanzo noticed a small line of color across the center. “What is it made of?”

“Silver and got Symmetra to help me add some red to it. Probably will only notice it in the dark, but it glows lightly, like your dragons when you use ‘em. Thought the red would remind ya of me.”

Slipping it onto his finger, Hanzo raised his left hand to stare at it. It fit perfectly and he smiled at the feel of it. It felt like it had always been there, it felt familiar.

“I love you, Hanzo. I wanna be with you for the rest of my life.”

“Jesse…”

“I know I can bother you sometimes and that I’m not always the easiest to be around, but I can’t imagine not having you beside me. You’re like a shot of whiskey and a cup of tea. Burn me up, but also calm me down. The only person who can make me sleep and give me something to look forward to whenever I’m up. I love you so much and…”

Hanzo leaned forward and kissed him. Moving onto his lap, Hanzo dug his fingers through McCree’s hair, moaning into his mouth. Breaking the kiss, Hanzo leaned his forehead against McCree’s.

“You are brash. You do not analyze situations. You just run ahead without planning. You are hard-headed, stubborn, and the only person I can ever be in love with. You accepted me, loved me, so quickly. I do not wallow in my guilt when I am with you. You are the only person to ever make me consider an enjoyable future. I, for once in my life, and looking forward to living. When I am with you, I want to live. I have never wanted to live so badly.”

McCree reached up to brush the tear that had escaped onto Hanzo’s cheek. “You are my reason to live as well.”

Hanzo kissed at the tears which fell down McCree’s face. “I love you. My fiancé, my love, my home… My cowboy.”

McCree chuckled. “I love you, Hanzo. For as long as you are mine.”

“Forever.”

“Yeah, forever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two are incredibly fun to write and I can't wait to show off new stories for them in the future. Until then, thank-you for reading and enjoying, for writing comments and leaving kudos- it really gave me the confidence and energy to finish this story! <3


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